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MIM Congress slugfest reaches crescendo
High tension built up in the Old City as the leaders and supporters of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen led by MP Asaduddin Owaisi created ruckus by attacking Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali and a few Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Shabbir Ali and TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
MIM workers attack Dy CM Mahmood Ali, Cong leaders Uttam, Shabbir
Hyderabad: High tension built up in the Old City as the leaders and supporters of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen led by MP Asaduddin Owaisi created ruckus by attacking Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali and a few Congress leaders, including Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Shabbir Ali and TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy.
In another incident, brother of Asaduddin and leader of the MIM in Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi attacked BJP candidate Mahender in a polling station in the Faluknama division. The polling agent is said to have suffered injuries. In Rajannabavi polling station in Aliabad area, the MIM and BJP activists clashed with each other and indulged in stone pelting.
Scared over the incident and arson, the polling officials took away the electronic voting machines to safer places from the back door. The disturbance in the Old City started with detention of Congress candidate from Puranapul Mohammed Ghouse for allegedly creating disturbance at various polling booths.
Ghouse and Charminar MLA Pasha Qadri entered into a heated argument when the followers of both the leaders reached Puranapul polling booth. South Zone DCP V Satyanarayana reached the spot and pacified the groups and the police shifted Pasha Qadri to Charminar police station while Ghouse was shifted to Mir Chowk police station.
As the news spread, TPCC president N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Shabbir Ali reached the Mir Chowk police station and demanded release of Ghouse. After taking Election Commission’s opinion, Ghouse was released. As the Congress leaders were leaving the police station, Asaduddin along with his followers reached the Mir Chowk police station and in the presence of Asaduddin, they attacked the vehicle in which Shabbir Ali and Uttam Kumar Reddy were returning.
According to Shabbir, Asad thumped on the windshield first saying “mere ilake mein kaise ayega”. “This sparked the attack by activists on me,” he said. The attack by activists left Shabbir with injuries to his right eye. Even the windshield of Uttam Kumar’s vehicle was damaged.
Shabbir, talking to media, said that the police was nowhere to be seen. When they wanted to lodge a complaint with the police, the inspector of Mir Chowk police station Yadgiri Reddy told them to first leave the place and pleaded inability to provide any security to them,” Shabbir said.
Following the incident, the TPCC president and other Congress leaders alleged collusion between TRS, MIM and police in conducting polls in the Old City. They marched to DGP Office from Gandhi Bhavan holding black flags condemning attack on Congress leaders and staged a dharna in front of the DGP’s office demanding arrest of MIM president Asaduddin Owaisi and others involved.
Additional Commissioner (Law & Order) Anjani Kumar sought 24 hours time and assured the Congress leaders that action would be taken against those who attacked them. However, the Congress leaders warned of protest if Asaduddin Owaisi and other culprits are not arrested during the next 24 hours.
Shahbaz Ahmed Khan, MIM incharge Qutbullapur Assembly constituency, said that the allegation against Asaduddin Owaisi was baseless, as MIM president tried to stop violent the mob, which was agitating against Congress leaders. On the contrary, the Congress leaders visited Old City with the intention to create nuisance and provoke innocent people.
"They were moving in 8 to 10 vehicles. They are not even polling agents or a candidate. The Commissioner of Police should have taken their case suo motu for entering a sensitive area with their convoy," he said. A little after the attack on Congress leaders, Malakpet MLA Ahmed Balala and over 200 of his supporters barged into the Deputy CM’s house in Azampura and allegedly manhandled his son Azam Ali.
Balala was arrested by the Chaderghat police on Tuesday and booked a case against him for the attack. Learning about the attack on deputy CM’s house, Home Minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy and other TRS leaders rushed to Mahmood Ali’s house and consoled him.
