A controversy erupted in Hyderabad after an auto driver was allegedly stopped and threatened by some miscreants over quotes related to Sanatana Dharma displayed on his autorickshaw on July 14. The incident later escalated after an alleged phone conversation between the driver and a police officer went viral on social media.
According to reports, the miscreants allegedly stopped the auto driver, identified as Bharat, and demanded that he erase the quotes displayed on his vehicle. They later approached the Attapur Police Station in Hyderabad and complained that the quotes had hurt their religious sentiments.
Subsequently, an Attapur Police Sub-Inspector allegedly called Bharat and asked him to come to the police station. In the purported phone conversation, which has since gone viral on social media, the SI could allegedly be heard speaking rudely to the auto driver, claiming that Hyderabad had “different rules” and threatening to file a case against him for not appearing at the police station.
The purported conversation triggered widespread reactions on social media, with several users tagging the Hyderabad Police and questioning the conduct of the police officer.
Following the controversy, representatives of Hindu organisations, including the VHP and Shivshakti, along with BJP Telangana leaders, assured Bharat of all possible assistance and accompanied him to the police station and extended their support to him.
Speaking to the media, Bharat claimed that the SI had reiterated, “Do you know the rules of Hyderabad?” and allegedly threatened him by asking how he would continue to drive an auto in Hyderabad.
The viral audio clip:
VHP national spokesperson Dr Ravinuthala Shashidhar, tagging the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate, demanded the immediate suspension of the police officer who allegedly threatened the auto driver and the arrest of the person accused of attacking him.
“@CPHydCity, the police officer who threatened the Hindu auto driver must be suspended immediately. The religious fanatic who attacked the Hindu auto driver must be arrested immediately. Sharia law is not in force in Hyderabad; the Constitution of India is in force here. We are ready to discuss, in accordance with the law, what Sanatana Dharma says, what other religions preach five times a day, and what religious scriptures teach. The entire Hindu society stands in support of our brother, the auto driver, who proudly and respectfully proclaimed the Dharma into which he was born,” Shashidhar said.
Reacting to the incident, advocate Karuna Sagar also extended his support to the auto driver and cited the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression.
“My complete support to the Hindu auto guy. Article 19 guarantees freedom of speech and expression,” he said.
Reacting to the issue, several netizens questioned the police officer’s stand and accused the police of selectively targeting Hindu auto drivers over religious expressions displayed on their vehicles.
Netizens questioned what they described as selective policing and called for the uniform application of the law.
“@AttapurPS cannot selectively target one community’s public expression while ignoring comparable expressions from others. True secularism requires the same rules for everyone — whether it is an auto-rickshaw slogan or five daily public calls to prayer. Selective policing erodes public trust and fuels resentment,” the netizen said.
Other social media users also shared photographs of different religious and ideological posters and messages displayed on vehicles, presenting them as a rebuttal to the alleged threats faced by the Hyderabad auto driver and questioning whether the police would apply the same standards in all such cases.
