Hate-monger a riot pastmaster

N Nagaraja Rao

AKBARUDDIN Owaisi, of Majlis Ittehad Muslimeen, the frustrated hate monger would have gone scot free but Mr Karuna Sagar, a BJP legal cell  chief for whom it was hard to digest. This speech was posted on YouTube and  other social media networks which prompted him to seek legal remedy.  He filed a petition in the court of VII Addl Chief Metropolitian Magistrate at Hyderabad under various sections of the IPC.

The speech attracted the attention of the national media  and all round condemnation  prompted the AP Police to act finally on Jan 8th when he was  finally arrested. Two FIRs were registered suo motu at Adilabad and Nizamabad districts while a third case was registered by Osmania University police, following a court directive after Owaisi allegedly used inflammatory language against Hindus.

This legislator went to London reportedly for a medical check up and landed in Hydeerabad on Jan 7th. He was given a  rousing reception by thousands of his cadres on arrival at the airport and also reached home  in a cavalcade consisting of hundreds of cars and other  Vehicles. Police were mute spectators and as the pressure was building up  alleging police inaction, the police was  forced to act and finally  District police arrived from Nirmal where the offence was recorded to arrest him in Hyderabad.

As always the  politicians do, this legislator faked his illness got himself admitted in  a hospital run by his trust and sought four days time to surrender. As large crowds  started milling around  at his residence police decided not to act and approached him the next day and served a notice  to appear for a medical examination by the Govt doctors at the Gandhi Hospital Hyderabad. He did arrive and after  ten medical tests led by a team of doctors  who submitted a report to the police that he is fit enough  to be arrested.

Minutes later a Inspector General rank officer  announced his arrest  and also informed that he shall be taken to Nirmal town 230 kms from  Hyderabad for interrogation  and  escorted by police reached  Nirmal  after high drama.  MIM cadres  meanwhile in Hyderabd vandalized some public transport buses and forcibily shut some  business establishments in the old city of Hyderabad.

At the time of filing this report, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi’s supporters had  attacked media vans in Adilabad after Owaisi sent to 14-day judicial custody.  He was booked under following sections- 120B, 124A, 153A, 121, 295A, 505 & 188 of the IPC. (waging war against nation promoting disharmony, making inflammatory sppech and others).

For the people of Hyderabad, these outbursts were no surprise as the very character of this political party is fundamentalist. The communal legacy of the pre-Independence Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) which was “regarded as remarkably aggressive and a violent face of Muslim militancy as it organized the Razakars to defend the independence of this Muslim State with Indian Union. Politics of MIM  being  what it is – the sole objective behind this Islamist character of the party is to blackmail the ruling establishment in Andhra Pradesh for the self seeking interest. The Congress  and opposition  Telugu Desam did appease and sought an alliance whenever they were in power to keep the minority vote banks intact.

Speeches like these are designed to stoke communal violence and also aimed at communal polarization. Since no communal violence has been reported from Andhra Pradesh after the event is proof that people have learnt to be indifferent to what people like Akbaruddin preach and practice.

Thanks to the initiative taken by a bold advocate and the social media groups, the mainstream media was forced to take up the issue of the rabid hate mongering tha Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi who is a MIM MLA, floor leader in the AP Legislative Assembly. Mr. Akbar is not new to this spewing of venom and he has done it on numerous occasions in the past. But unfortunately for  Akbar- also fondly called  Sher-E-Dekkan (Lion of Hyderabad)  by his followers, this time he has been caged  and sure not to roar again.

“Many Muslims in Hyderabad too joined the protest rally in Hyderabad, a participant said.”  One fails to understand how can any educated person defend such provocation? One wonders if they have even seen it?  If they have,  do they support a man  talking about Allah and His  Rasool   preaching Muslims to follow Islamic teachings and in the same breath a brazenly violating Islamic code of conduct by ridiculing Hinduism, attacking Hindu gods and Goddesses and taking pride in eating beef directly mocking at them. How can well educated and sensible Muslims defend and justify such provocative remarks during his public speech?

Government of Andhra Pradesh even denied police permission to hold a protest meet by RSS/Bajrang Dal and many other religious institutions in Hyderabad over his remarks. Ultimately a house motion  petition was filed by The Hindu Raksha Samithi in the AP High Court seeking permission to stage dharna which was granted by Justice L. Narsimha Reddy. Many pontiffs, social workers and like minded organisations took part in the meet to protest against remarks and demanding his immediate arrest and  disqualification of the party in question.