By TwoCircles.net Staff Reporter,
Hyderabad: Majlis-e-Itehadul Muslimeen chief and Member of Parliament from Hyderabad Asaduddin Owaisi broke his silence for the first time on the Muslim moral policing incident, condemning it and cautioned Muslim community from blindly supporting police over action.
Addressing a huge gathering of Jalsa Seerat un Nabi at Mela Maidan near Golconda fort Asaduddin Owaisi raised up the issue of Muslim moral policing by local Inspector Syed Nayeemuddin Jawed which had recently created national headlines.
Asaduddin Owaisi adressing congregation at Golconda
Golconda Inspector Jawed created a controversy when in a self-promotional video he was caught chasing down ‘Muslim couples’ and punishing them at Seven Tombs Park.
Golconda station head Inspector claimed that those youngsters were indulging in indecent acts at Public Park. In the video which has got widely circulated over social media Inspector Jawed and plainclothes police men with Lathis in hand were seen manhandling adult males and forcing girls clad in Burqas to do sit ups on running camera and on even occasions allowed other passers-by to film in their mobile phones.
Mr. Owaisi questioned the logic behind punishing girls in the camera and publishing it on Youtube, “Police will not act against street teasers, but will go in the parks to make girls do sit ups in front of cameras. How will you feel Mr. Inspector if your daughter gets punished in the same manner and gets published on YouTube,” MIM chief said.
MIM chief offered a word of caution to many local Muslims who came out in support of incident. “I am telling this to whole community, Police doesn’t have any authority to punish girls on roads in public and upload it on Youtube. I fear if we today legitimize this kind of acts tomorrow police will shoot anybody then claim he was a terrorist,” he said.
He went on to say, “Remember we should always condemn this kind of acts and never support it.”
In his aggressive tune Mr. Owaisi went on to lambast Golconda inspector, adding “Aren’t there gambling parlours, illicit liquor production centres running in this area? Why don’t you act against them? Why? Is it because you are getting payments from them. Why don’t you act against rowdies and thieves, why? Isn’t it because they are your stooges.”
Punishing youngsters publicly is not the solution, he warned. “Doesn’t humans commit mistakes, punishing them publicly will make them more stubborn,” he said.
National Commission for Women has already demanded action against Inspector Jawed and has written two letters to the state DGP asking for action taken report, but state police is yet to give any reply to NCW. With the flip flop from the state police continuing NCW is expected to go after Inspector on its own.
Meanwhile Inspector Jawed has received support from many Islamist organizations including Jamat-e-Islami for his acts. Stern comments from MIM chief has again heated up the debate on legitimacy of Inspector Jawed’s Muslim moral policing show.
Related:
Police & Media colludes in ‘Muslim Moral policing’, inquiry ordered
NCW demands actions against ‘Muslim moral police,’ Islamists stand in defense