Members of the Darsgah-e-Jihad-o-Shahadat (DJS) were detained by the Hyderabad Police on the 25th anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. They continued to yell slogans as they were bundled into vans.
Around 25 protestors were detained by the Hyderabad Police as prohibitory orders had been imposed. DJS members were detained when they were protesting near Darulshifa X Road. They were later shifted to the Mir Chowk Police Station.
The DJS is notorious for such protests every year, and has had run-ins with the law on various occasions.
Security tightened
The police had announced in advance that security had been beefed up across the city. To avoid untoward incidents, almost 3,500 police officers had been deployed.
The Hyderabad Police said that Section 144 was in place, but it was not applicable to citizens going about their day, but only if people started shouting slogans or grouped to disrupt. The police also asked people not to believe any rumours that were doing the rounds on social media.
Besides random vehicle checks across the city, the police also issued prohibitory orders against any kind of gathering, public meeting, rally or protest.
The South Zone police, under whose jurisdiction the Old City area falls under, said that they had identified as many as 60 sensitive locations in the area, out of which 15 were dubbed 'hypersensitive'.
The police posted pickets at these locations to keep a close watch of any suspicious activity and also conducted a 'flag march' in several places in Old City.
“The South Zone Police today conducted a flag march with two teams of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) and six platoons of the Telangana State Special Police. Additional DCP (South Zone), eight ACPs, 30 Inspectors and 75 Sub-Inspectors took part in the exercise,” the Hyderabad Police said, in a press release.
(Image: PTI)
Mobs allied to the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) tore down the 16th century Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, triggering widespread communal riots all over the country.
In its aftermath, riots occurred in Hyderabad at the time, which had left over 200 people dead in the Old City area.
While the VHP -- which claims the Babri Masjid was built at the birthplace of Hindu god Rama -- has been celebrating the demolition as 'Shaurya Diwas', some Muslim groups observe December 6 as a "black day".
Muslim group meets Governor
Meanwhile, members of the Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT), led by party spokesperson Amjed Ullah Khan, met Governor ESL Narashimhan and submitted a memorandum to be forwarded to the President of India that demanded the reconstruction of Babri Masjid at its original place in Uttar Pradesh.
Protesting the pro-Hindu groups' demand to decide the case on aastha (faith), MBT, in its memorandum, said: "This perverts law and paves the ground for fresh hostilities against Muslims in the name of enforcing law. It will be yet another attempt to bury justice in the name of faith and belief."
"Errors in justice will defeat the very idea of India, if justice is denied by the state in the name of 'Aastha', expectations darken into despair and despair evolves into explosive movements. Thus adhering to the spirit of the Constitution in the Babri Masjid dispute, is the only way," the party added.