Keep Election Victory Celebrations Simple: Owaisi

Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday instructed his party workers to avoid celebrations after the declaration of results on May 16, in view of the Kishanbagh incident.

Addressing the office bearers of MIM's primary units at Darulsalaam in Hyderabad, Owaisi said that no MIM candidate or worker should wear garlands, burst crackers or hire bands, should they win the elections on Friday.

He said that the celebrations should be confined to exchanges of greetings and thanksgiving prayers. They should be very simple and low-key affairs in view of the communal violence and police firing at Kishanbagh which claimed 3 lives and injured over a dozen others, he instructed.

He said that it would be immoral to indulge in celebrations when several families have suffered due to communal riots and indiscriminate police firing.

Owaisi welcomed the announcement made by Governor E S L Narasimhan of giving Rs. 6 lakhs ex-gratia to the families of each of those killed in the police firing and Rs. 50,000 to each of those injured, and ordering a magisterial probe into the incident. However, he demanded that a murder case should be booked against Joint Commissioner of Cyberabad Police Y Gangadhar and other officials who were responsible for the firing.

He also announced that the MIM would extend all assistance to the families of those killed in the police firing, and to others affected by the Kishanbagh violence.

The MIM President asked his party workers to remain vigilant during the counting of votes on Friday. He asked them not to leave the counting centres till the completion of the entire process.

GHMC Mayor Mohammad Majid Hussain and about 10 candidates who contested the recent elections were also present. (INN)