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Hate audio clip sparks tension in Utnoor
An audio clip allegedly posted by a youth on an instant messaging platform denigrating particular community triggered violence in Utnoor on Sunday. A few policemen including Adilabad Superintendent of Police M Srinivas sustained minor injuries when the irate mobs pelted stones against them.
Utnoor (Adilabad): An audio clip allegedly posted by a youth on an instant messaging platform denigrating particular community triggered violence in Utnoor on Sunday. A few policemen including Adilabad Superintendent of Police M Srinivas sustained minor injuries when the irate mobs pelted stones against them.
It all started when a 25-year-old person, said to be a fruit vendor, allegedly posted a nine-minute audio clip on WhatsApp messaging platform that went viral within a few hours. Infuriated by this, a section of the people lodged a complaint with the police against him on Saturday. Later, venting their ire out, they damaged some property near the old bus station.
Frustrated over the delay in arresting the youth, they gathered again near the police station on Sunday so were the other community people in support of the youth. Despite the efforts of the police, the mobs appeared adamant to disperse from the spot. Both the groups started pelting stones against each other. This prompted the police to lob the tear gas shells to disperse the mobs.
Superintendent of Police M Srinivas, OSD T Panasa Reddy and DSP A Laxminarayana were among others who received minor injuries in the stone pelting. Following this, the authorities rushed 500-odd policemen to the spot. This apart, DIG C Ravi Varma and District Collector Buddha Prakash M Jyothi also rushed to Utnoor and monitored the situation. As of now, the situation is under control, the police said.
Ravi Varma said: “We will arrest the youth very soon. Prohibitory orders under Section 144 will continue till the peace is restored in the town.”
Meanwhile, the police organised a meeting with members of both the communities to ensure peace in the town that has a population little under 20,000. However, the police have launched a search for the youth, his community elders reportedly assured the police to handover him.
Hitherto, there were instances of communal clashes in Adilabad, Bhainsa and Nirmal in the undivided Adilabad district, but this is the first time that Utnoor, a predominantly tribal town, had witnessed such an incident.The police who booked a case against the youth for posting the derogatory audio clip also booked four cases against the complainant group for pelting stones and damaging the property.
It may be mentioned here that Nirmal and Nizamabad police booked suo moto cases against Akbaruddin Owaisi, the Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (MIM) floor leader in the state Assembly, for his alleged hate speech against a community in 2012.
