AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday wondered why police were conducting flag-marches only at Charminar. Officials say the exercise is held to instil confidence that police are in control of law and order.
"Why only at Charminar, why not in front of Secunderabad Railway Station or at Hi-Tech City, maybe in front of a US Software company?" tweeted Owaisi in reply to a post from Hyderabad City Police's Twitter handle.
The police posted a picture of Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel staging a flag-march near Charminar. Some netizens asked what is the situation in Charminar area that warranted the flag-march.
Why only at CHARMINAR ,why not in front of Secunderabad Railway Station or at Hi Tec City maybe in front of a US Software company ? https://t.co/PFZBwuZC2g
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) February 29, 2020
Hyderabad police was put on alert after Delhi was rocked by communal riots. The flag-march was also conducted on Thursday.
Parts of the city witnessed protests on Friday against the Delhi police's alleged laxity in reining in rioters. A protest was also seen outside historic Mecca Masjid near Charminar. After Friday prayers, youth raised slogans against Delhi police.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar appealed to citizens to remain alert and united to see to that 'no mischief-maker tries to take advantage of the disturbing news from Delhi.'
This is not the first time that Hyderabad police has conducted flag march starting from Charminar moving through the narrow streets surrounding the historical structure. The residents of the locality are a mix of both Hindus and Muslims who indulged in jewellery, clothing trade and running food stalls. Charminar is a popular tourist attraction.
In December 2018, in view of the Telangana elections the Hyderabad police conducted flag march with 750 security persons taking part. Flag marches of such scale often have personnel from the Central forces and CRPF, CARF, special armed forces of the state police accompanied by law and order police on horses. These flag marches are carried out usually along Bhavani Nagar, Aitbaar chowk, Mir Chowk and Darul Shifa and Charminar.
A flag march was also held on December 5, 2019, a day before the Babri masjid demolition case judgement. The police reason that flag march is held to instil confidence in the public, to project the idea that the police are in control of law and order.
Communal violence
Hyderabad has witnessed communal clashes in the past.
In December 1990, 200 people were killed in riots in Hyderabad, which were a fallout of the Babri masjid demolition that took place on October 30 that year.
The death of MIM leader, Mohammed Ghouse in 2003 sparked violence in the city. With allegations that the police was involved in Ghouse’s murder, cadre reportedly belonging to the AIMIM indulged in stone pelting at Seetharambagh, Asifnagar, Charminar and Moghalpura areas on June 6, 2003. Police resorted to lathi charge to bring the mobs under control.
The city experienced unrest yet again on February 18, 2006. This time over the controversial cartoons published on Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Vehicles were set on fire by a protesting mob with police firing tear gas shells. The police eventually deployed the rapid action force and the CRPF to manage the crowd.
Communal clashes broke out in March 2010 in Charminar area, leaving two dead and 150 injured. The clash started over a dispute between Hindu and Muslim groups over religious flags kept as part of Milad-un-Nabi and Hanuman Jayanti festivals.