Shamshabad assault: MBT alleges communal angle, police deny

Police denied any communal angle and said that the dispute was over paint falling on the adjacent building.

Hyderabad: Two Muslim youths were allegedly beaten up at a construction site in Rallagadda Doddi in Shamshabad on Wednesday, October 21. Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan has alleged that the assault was a communal incident; however, police have denied it, saying it was a dispute between two groups.

According to Khan, the two electricians, 25-year-old Mohd Wahed Ahmed, and 26-year-old Hyder Khan had been employed at the site for the past five days.

Painting work was also underway at the site, and a paint box fell onto an adjacent building.

Some individuals there came to site and started hitting the painters with sticks. Hearing the commotion, the two electricians came outside to check.

They were asked their names and, upon learning that they were residents of the Old City, were beaten up. “They ran inside to protect themselves. Suddenly, a mob of 20-25 people came and assaulted them with sticks. They tried calling the police through Dial 100 but no one came to their rescue. Both of them passed out from the beatings,” Khan alleged.

He stated that when they came to, one man dressed in khaki asked them about the assault and started beating them. “It needs to be verified whether this man was a police officer or an RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) member,” he said.

Khan alleged that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy is ‘playing soft Hindutva politics’ and endangering the peace, communal harmony and social fabric of Telangana.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MLC Mirza Riyaz Ul Hassan Effendi also visited the victims at the Osmania General Hospital and accompanied them to the police station to register a complaint.

Police deny communal angle

Speaking to Siasat.com, RGIA Police Station Station House Officer (SHO) B Sanjeevulu denied any communal angle and said that the dispute was over paint falling on the adjacent building.

He also denied that a mob was involved in the attack and said only five people can be seen in the closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage. “The footage we have only shows five people, including the two victims. We also cannot see any rods or sticks,” the SHO said.

He said that a case was first registered at Kamatipura Police Station under sections 126 (2) (wrongful restraint), 118 (1) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous weapons or means) and 352 (breach of the peace). It was then transferred to RGIA PS.

He added that two people on the assailants’ side were also hospitalised after being hit by the two electricians. No arrests have been made.

Further investigation is underway.