Hyderabad: A handful of communal incidents within a year have raised concerns of the Telangana government’s efficacy in maintaining peace and harmony. A one-month ban on gatherings by the Hyderabad police commissioner has added credence to the perception that right-wing groups are now more active and trying to cause more trouble under a Congress-run government.
While the city police has been able to so far contain the situation, two incidents within a spate of few days in October have raised concerns. The first was the vandalism of an idol at the Muthyalamma temple in Secunderabad by a Muslim man named Salim from Maharastra. That led to a huge gathering and protest by Bajrang Dal and other right-wing groups, who almost attacked a mosque near the temple, but were prevented by the police from doing so.
A day or so after this, protests had erupted in Rein Bazar in Hyderabad over a communal post. Prior to this a few months ago, scores of Muslim-owned shops were burnt by a huge mob of over 3000 people in Jainoor mandal of Kumaram Bheem-Asifabad district in Telangana. The violence was sparked after a Muslim man attempted to sexually assault a tribal woman. In the ensuing violence, Muslim-owned shops were targetted, and still remain closed as the police is wary of more trouble.
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“Right-wing groups are more active for sure in Telangana, as they always try to create more trouble under a Congress government. The ruling party also has leaders who are not fully experienced so maybe that is why they have not been able to grasp things fully. But they should give instructions to the police to contain any such incident and keep vigil,” said one of the advisors to the Telangana government, who did not want to be quoted.
Other activists from Hyderabad also said that the city has seen relative peace over the last 10 years, and that a change in the ruling party has allowed right-wing groups to get more active. “The government Telangana here is unable to control law and order here due to its internal politics. The home department is under the chief minister himself. There are growing concerns among civil society as Christians and Muslims are being attacked more,” said activist SQ Masood from the Old City of Hyderabad.
A Congress leader who did not want to be named however said that the state elections in Maharashtra also had a role to play in communal incidents in Telangana. “In Jainoor, a lot of the accused are from Maharashtra. And similarly, the Muslim man who desecrated the temple in Secunderabad is from Bombay. Vested interests are trying to cause trouble here and spoilt the name of the Congress,” he asserted.
