In a setback to the Majlis party, the Maharashtra police have denied permission to the Majlis from holding a public meeting in Aurangabad on Thursday evening.
The police have also banned the entry of the Majlis president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi in the areas of Aurangabad police commissionerate till March 2. This was communicated to Mr. Owaisi in a three-page notice served on him on Wednesday.
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A police officer of Aurangabad handed over the notice to Mr. Owaisi at his residence in Himayatnagar on Wednesday. Aurangabad Police Commissioner Sanjay Kumar cited a number of reasons for withholding permission for the meeting. He referred to the cases registered against Mr. Owaisi in Hyderabad and Medak districts. “You (Mr. Owaisi) tend to ignore the directions of police and civil authorities and violate prohibitory orders,” he said in the notice.
Mr. Kumar also referred to the Majlis legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi’s hate speech and said it had created unrest among Hindu community in Aurangabad. Though the permission for the meeting was denied in writing, the Majlis convenor in Aurangabad, Javed Qureshi, went ahead by propagating about the public meeting. Mr. Kumar stated that Aurangabad was a communally sensitive city and had witnessed riots between Hindus and Muslims. Under these circumstances, the visit of Mr. Owaisi to Aurangabad would disturb public safety, peace and tranquillity. “It may lead to communal tension and riots between the two communities”, Mr. Kumar said while ordering him not to enter Aurangabad.