Andhra Pradesh government no more secular: Muslim front

United Muslim Action Committee, an umbrella of several Muslim organisations in Hyderabad on Monday lashed out at the state government and the police administration for what it called "encouraging and emboldening" the Hindutva forces against the Muslim minority leading to several attacks on the community in the recent weeks.

After a meeting of the committee at Darussalam, the headquarters of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, its convenor Abdul Raheem Qureshi said that the police not only failed in discharging its duty of upholding rule of law and protecting the minorities but it actively connived with the communal elements of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal in targeting Muslims.

"This is all being done under a government that claims to be secular. We feel that the police and the other government departments were full of communal elements and they were siding with the anti social elements. Let the government announce that it was no more secular and we will see what we have to do," he said.

MIM President and Member of Lok Sabha Asaduddin Owaisi told the media that despite several representations there has been no action against the communal elements targeting the Muslim community. "Though Bakrid is celebrated every year by sacrificing bulls and not cows, the communal forces have attacked Muslims as well as traders of the cattle in the name of anti cow slaughter act. No body slaughters cow as everyone knows it is prohibited under the law. As far as bulls and other big animals are concerned, the animal husbandry department itself runs markets where these animals are sold. Then why are traders and Muslims bringing these animals to Hyderabad for sacrifice being targeted," he asked.

He said that apart from attacking such people at many places, an attempt was also made to burn four people alive in Mehbubnagar district when they went to purchase the animals.

On the issue of disputed temple near Charminar, he said that the officials of Hyderabad police were hand in glove with the BJP-VHP-Bajrang Dal leaders to allow further expansion of the temple in violation of law and government orders. "We made several representations to the government and the Archeological Survey of India to stop this but they have completely failed," he said.

Referring to the communal violence in Sabzi Mandi area of Hyderabad, Owaisi said that the police had sealed several localities of poor people of both the Hindu and Muslim communities by erecting barbed wire fencing in the area. "There is an undeclared curfew and the police as not allowing people to come out even for buying essential commodities. Families of daily wage earners are starving and sick are not able to get medicine," he said.

He revealed that when he contacted a senior police official on the issue, he told him that they were teaching a lesson to the people there. "I want to know under what law police has fenced those areas and are stopping the free movement of the people which is their fundamental right?"

Later he also made a representation to the state Human Rights Commission Chairman Justice Nisar Ahmad Kukroo demanding immediate removal of the barbed wire fencing.

The UMAC demanded that action against those responsible for preventing the sacrifice animals being brought to Hyderabad and attacking and stabbing Muslims. It also sought action against the police officials posted in Sabzi Mandi area.

The committee urged the state government to institute an inquiry as to who planned the extension of illegal temple at Charminar and who were the civic and police officials who permitted the illegal activity.