A delegation of the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) met DGP V. Dinesh Reddy on Saturday and protested against what they termed as ‘indiscriminate arrests’ of minority youth by the city police in the name of investigating the disturbances in the old city.
The MIM delegation informed the police chief that even schoolchildren who were returning home were arrested by the police.
The DGP, party sources said, had assured them that police investigations were on to determine whether those taken into custody in the city were involved in Friday’s disturbances. He assured them that all the innocents would be released immediately.
The delegation also told Mr. Reddy that the way police prevented Muslims from offering ‘salaam’ near a chilla at Charminar had led to the clashes with the police. If only the namazis were allowed to offer ‘salaam’, situation would not have slipped out of hand. The delegation consisted of MLAs Mumtaz Ahmed Khan, Virasat Rasool Khan, Muqtada Afsar Khan, Ahmed Balala, Moazam Khan and MLC Syed Amin Jafry.
Meanwhile, the Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC) has urged the police to act impartially and pointed out that Friday’s disturbances took place only because the police stopped people from offering prayers at Charminar. In a statement here on Saturday, the committee general secretary, Lateef Mohammed Khan said while the police allowed the majority community people to worship at the Bhagya Laxmi temple, the minorities were prevented from offering prayers at Charminar “which was originally a mosque”.
Mr. Lateef Mohammed Khan alleged that certain police officers, including Commissioner of Police Anurag Sharma, were biased against the minority community.
He demanded that the police immediately release those arrested and stop harassment of people.
