MIM Violence: Governor Summons Police Chief

Amidst vociferous demands from all the Opposition parties for his invoking Section 8 of the AP Reorganization Act, Governor E S L Narsimhan summoned Hyderabad City Police Commissioner M Mahender Reddy to apprise himself of the outbreak of violence in the Old City during the GHMC elections held on Tuesday, February 2.

On the day of the polling, violence had suddenly erupted in the Old City with Congress and MIM supporters clashing in the presence of senior leaders of both the Parties. In the incident TPCC president Uttam Kumar Reddy and Congress MLC Shabbir Ali were physically assaulted, and the former's car damaged. MIM leader and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and MIM Charminar MLA Pasha Qadri were accused of instigating their supporters in the incidents.

In another incident on the polling day, MIM leader in the Assembly Akbaruddin Owaisi was also accused of assaulting a BJP poll agent. And another MIM MLA Balala was accused of attacking the residence of Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali and assaulting his son, and also beating up MBT's Amjed Ullah Khan.

The assault on the Congress leaders and BJP workers led to an all-Party meeting convened by the Congress Leader of Opposition K Jana Reddy wherein the MIM leaders were assailed for fomenting trouble and instigating the dastardly acts. The all-Party delegation also called upon the Governor and submitted a memorandum demanding stern action against the MIM leaders, including the Owaisi brothers, besides invocation of Section 8 as enshrined in the A P Reorganization Act.

As per the Act, in the event of the breakdown of law and order, the Governor is empowered, in Section 8, to take control of the administration of law and order in Hyderabad, which is the joint capital of both Telangana and AP. The demand for invocation of Section 8 had earlier been made vociferously by TDP leaders, including Chandrababu Naidu, in the wake of note-for-vote scandal that unfolded during the MLC elections last year in which TDP MLA Revanth Reddy was arrested on charges of trying to bribe Anglo-Indian nominated MLA Stevenson and it emerged that Chandrababu Naidu's telephone lines were being tapped, leading to the latter expressing a lack of faith in the Telangana police, and a threat to the life and properties of settlers in Hyderabad.

Though this demand subsequently fizzled out after Naidu and KCR cozied up to each other, the threat of breakdown of law and order in Hyderabad once again took centrestage in the wake of the violent incident in the Old City in the GHMC elections.

Thus the Governor's action in summoning the City Police Commissioner in connection with the Old City incidents has assumed political importance.

It is pertinent to note here that the TRS has been talking aloud about a post-poll alliance with the MIM with an eye on the Mayor and Deputy Mayor posts of the GHMC. Thus, the ruling Party may not like to ruffle the feathers of the MIM by insisting on any police action on them, and might choose to adopt a wait-and-watch policy regarding any action against MIM leaders in connection with the Old City incidents.

The Governor has also often been criticized by the Opposition parties as being partial to the TRS. Hence the summoning of the Police Commissioner is being keenly watched.