By IANS,
Hyderabad : Hyderabad police Sunday arrested Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) legislator Afsar Khan for allegedly slapping a police constable.
Afsar Khan, member of Andhra Pradesh state legislative assembly from Karwan constituency in Hyderabad, and his two supporters were booked under section 353 of the Indian Penal Code (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty).
The case was booked at Humayun Nagar police station and the legislator and his two aides were taken into custody. A large number of supporters of Khan gathered outside the police station protesting his arrest.
Police said the MLA slapped constable Shiva Prasad of Humayun Nagar police station Saturday when Shiva tried to stop Khan’s cousin from beating a boy at Sakina complex in Mehdipatnam area over a petty issue.
The incident took place in the presence of sub-inspector Nagendar Rap. The police reached the complex after a woman lodged a complaint that Jeelani was beating her son for disturbing residents of the complex. As the police intervened and tried to stop Jeelani, a cousin of the MLA, and others from beating the boy, Khan reached there and allegedly slapped the constable.
The MIM leader, however, has denied slapping the constable and said he was only trying to pacify the two groups.
Controversies are not new to Khan. The legislator was arrested on at least three occasions in the past on criminal charges.
In 2008, Khan was arrested for opening fire in the air to stop civic officials from demolishing an illegal building.
In August 2007, he was one among the three MIM legislators arrested for attacking controversial Bangladeshi novelist Taslima Nasreen at Hyderabad Press Club for blasphemy.
In December same year, he allegedly attacked junior doctors at government-run Niloufer Hospital for not providing proper treatment to a child. The attack triggered indefinite strike by medicos, paralysing healthcare across the state for several days.