By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Hyderabad: Majlis-e-Itehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi condemned violent riots in his constituency and demanded high level probe into indiscriminate firing by paramilitary forces which has so far claimed three lives.
In a press statement Mr. Owaisi alleged that security forces acted in irresponsible manner, “Some miscreants attacked the residents of Arsh Mahal with swords and daggers and burnt several vehicles. The residents of Arsh Mahal pelted stones in self-defense to save themselves from the attackers. In the meantime, the police reinforcements rushed to the spot. Instead of controlling the assailants who were brandishing swords and attacking the persons of other community indiscriminately, the police personnel from the Central para-military forces opened fired on the locality residents in which three youth were killed on the spot and a dozen others were injured.”
Relatives of injured crying outside hospital.
MIM chief also revealed that condition of three to four police firing victims is in critical condition.
Questioning the rationale behind opening indiscriminate fire on unarmed protestors Mr. Asadudddin Owaisi accused central para-military forces of taking the law into their own hands. He said “Instead of using the usual methods like lathicharge, bursting of teargas shells and use of rubber bullets, they directly opened fire on the youth, hailing bullets at their chests.”
MIM chief criticized lack of transparency and coordination among police personnel controlling situation on the spot, “When I asked Higher Police Officials of Cyberabad and Hyderabad they refused to say that they have given any such (firing) order. It is not clear who had ordered the police firing and whether the central paramilitary forces had acted on the advice of the local police or obtained the order for firing from a magistrate,” he said.
Sword marks on Muslim business establishment.
MIM urged Governor ESL Narasimhan who is the de facto head in president rule to take stringent action against police personnel from state or center by ordering DGP to file FIR against them. Mr. Owaisi demanded that Governor should all the records, including vehicle log books, wireless communication transcripts, mobile records of individual police officers, the details of battalion or company of the central paramilitary forces deployed at the spot, who was the unit commander and who ordered the firing, whether any magistrate was present and whether any warning was given in local language before the police firing and the number of rounds of police firing etc.
MIM President demanded a full-fledged judicial inquiry by a sitting High Court Judge into the communal violence incident including the subsequent police firing that resulted in three deaths and caused critical injuries to 20 others, all Muslims.
MIM chief asked Muslims to maintain clam and assured them that party is doing everything to bring relief to the victims.
Related:
Hyderabad riots: Police claim situation calm, defends firing order on Muslim protestors
Communal clashes between Sikhs and Muslims in Hyderabad, 4 killed in police firing