Capping a day of high drama, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi was arrested on Tuesday and whisked away by the police to Nirmal in Adilabad, 220 km from here, after being subjected to medical tests at a government hospital here.
Mr. Owaisi is facing charges for an alleged hate speech.
The MIM MLA, who was directed by the police to present himself for questioning, had cited medical reasons while requesting the police to give him four days to appear before them. But it was turned down.
On Tuesday, the police went to his house in Banjara Hills here and took him to the Gandhi Hospital, where a team of five doctors examined him thoroughly and gave a clean bill of health.
The arrest of Mr. Owaisi triggered tension in several parts of the city, notably the old Hyderabad areas, where the police deployed forces in good numbers and stepped up patrolling.
Restive MIM workers, who gathered at the hospital, jostled with the police and hurled stones at vehicles, forcing the police to resort to lathi-charge.
The decision to arrest the MLA came after Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy held consultations with Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan at Raj Bhavan, after being briefed by DGP V. Dinesh Reddy.
Mr. Owaisi’s lawyer, Mohd. Shafiduddin objected to the manner in which the arrest was made. He claimed that Mr. Owaisi’s request to allow him to go home and have lunch was turned down.
“The MLA was whisked away without informing us where he was being taken to,” he said. Mr. Owaisi was suffering from ‘acute pain’ due to hernia, and had undergone three surgeries, he added.
Mr. Akbaruddin survived an assassination attempt in May 2011.
