By IANS
Hyderabad : Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi Friday alleged that the police were trying to create sectarian differences in the Muslim community through its "biased" investigations into the May 18 bomb blast at the Mecca Masjid here.
Owaisi, leader of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM), reiterated a demand for immediate suspension of the police officers for the "unprovoked" firing on protesters after the blast.
Suspecting the involvement of Hindu extremist groups, the MP urged the police to conduct a probe against them instead of pointing fingers only at some foreign extremist outfits.
"Our demand is treat Bajrang Dal and other Hindu extremist groups as suspects," he said, pointing out that four people were killed in the Bajrang Dal office in Nanded (Maharashtra) last year when some activists of the outfit were making explosives.
Showing copies of the police investigation reports into the blast and police firing, he said they contained contradictory statements about the events.
"The reports show hatred of the police towards Muslim community and exposes their mindset in conducting the probe," he alleged.
The police report on the blast said the motive of the offence was to kill people from the Sunnath-ul-Jamat community and that the Ahil-e-Hadees militant group was the accused. The same report ruled out this possibility and said the role of Lashkar-e-Toiba and Harkatul Mujahideen has to be probed, Owaisi held.
"Muslims are the victims and they are also the accused in the incident," he said.
Nine people were killed in the blast during Friday prayers at the 17th century mosque while five people died in the subsequent police firing on protesters near the mosque.
Owaisi said police gave contradictory versions about the events that followed the blast to justify police firing. "The police claim that thousands of people came out of the mosque after the blast and went towards a Hindu area to attack houses. This is contradictory to another statement by a police officer that the mob did not allow policemen to enter the mosque," he said.
He also challenged Director General of Police M.A. Basit's claim that police used rubber bullets. "Police fired from self-loading rifles only to kill people. It was a genocide," he said, disputing claims that a mob tried to set a petrol bunk afire.
Owaisi warned the Congress government that Muslims would be forced to review their support if the police officials involved were not suspended.
"Since Mecca Masjid had been hit, Hyderabad is no longer safe. A sense of insecurity has gripped the people of this city," he said.
The police are currently questioning Sameer alias Naeem, an alleged Lashkar-e-Toiba operative. Sameer, who was arrested along with three others in West Bengal last month while trying to cross India-Bangladesh border, was brought from Mumbai for questioning.