By Mohd. Ismail Khan, TwoCircles.net,
Hyderabad: The city police today imposed indefinite curfew in Saidabad and Madanapet areas after communal clashes broke out there early this morning. Nearly 10 houses of Muslims in the locality are said to have been damaged while 1 house and 5 vehicles set ablaze. A violent mob of Bajrang Dal has even beaten up pedestrians on the road and damaged two RTC buses.
Trouble broke out when Bajrang Dal activists took out rally targeting Muslim houses alleging that beef was thrown in Hanuman Mandir in the Kurmaguda locality of the city.
Even vehicles belonging to media organizations were damaged in stone pelting incidents. According to the reports of local media, 9 people got injured and 1 has died, but the city police still has not confirmed any casualty in the riots.
City commissioner of police A.K. Khan speaking to the media persons said, “It is the handiwork of some miscreants who don’t want a peaceful environment in the city. Strict action will be taken against those miscreants who are involved in these riots. More additional forces are going to be deployed in and around Hyderabad to control the situation.”
Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen leaders Akbaruddin Owaisi, Ayed Ahmed Pasha Quadri, Ahmed Balala and Majlis Bachao Tehreek leader Amjedullah Khan have visited the riot hit areas and inspected about the situation there.
MBT leader Amjedullah Khan told TCN that “the effected areas were communally sensitive and police used to monitor it 24/7. It is surprising that such kind of serious incidents happened in that area. There were reports for weeks that Muslim youths and their properties were getting attacked by right wing Hindu groups. If police had acted earlier and arrested those miscreants then this incident could have been averted.”
Meanwhile, fresh clashes have erupted in Moghulpura, Sultanshahi, and Shalibanda areas of the old city after the rumor of Muslim youth getting killed in the riot spread like a wild fire in the whole city.
And in other parts of the city which are peaceful, shops, hotels, petrol pumps and other public spots have been closed down by the police as a precaution in the old city.