15 Bajrang Dal members held for stabbing attacks in Hyd

The arrest of six activists of Hindu Vahini and 15 members of Bajrang Dal in Hyderabad on Tuesday has revealed a conspiracy to stir up communal trouble in the city by attacking minority community members.

Upon interrogation, the activists told their interrogators that the conspiracy was hatched by the two leaders of their organisations -- B Rajeshwar Rao and Shyamsundar.

Subsequently, Shyam was also taken in to custody and upon interrogation, he confessed of his involvement, and revealed the name of others who were involved in the attacks.

They have also revealed that the attacks were planned in retaliation to the "slaughter of cows" on the day of Idul Azha inHyderabad and in action of the police in preventing it.

The arrests were made after a series of incidents with in a span of one hour in Kacheguda, Tadban and Bowenpally areas of the city. Passersby were attacked with sharp-edged weapons by the motorcycle-borne assailants.

Seven special teams were constituted to search and nab the assailants. Some of the teams have been sent Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu on the information that some culprits and conspirators had fled there.

The arrested have revealed that four teams of two members each had set out on three motorcycles with weapons on Tuesday night, and first attacked two persons at Kachiguda.

They stopped them on the pretext of asking directions and attacked them with a dagger.  Omer Farooq, a pillion rider, was injured critically. The same gang was involved in another attack at Tadbun in which Abdul Azeem and Abdul Kareem were targetted.

Two other persons -- Mushtaq and Meraj -- were attacked with iron rods at Azamabad area of Musheerabad in which Mushtaq was seriously injured.

Hyderabad city police commissioner A K Khan who visited the critically injured in a private hospital said that the police had taken the incidents very seriously as it was a conspiracy to disturb the communal peace in the city.

"We will not spare any efforts to bring the culprits to book", he said.

Cops continue to be on alert in the city and night patrolling and search operations have been intensified to prevent recurring of such attacks.

Hindu Vahini and Bajrang Dal were active in Hyderabad and many other places in the state before Idul Azha, and they had targetted the traders of animals meant for the sacrifice.

They were demanding that the sacrifice of bullocks should not be allowed on the Id day, while the officials maintained that the ban was only on cows.