Telangana author and poet Yousuf Baba Shaik, who goes by the pen name Sky Baaba, came under attack on Wednesday evening at the Vijayawada Book Festival.
Sky Baaba had earlier criticised the people of Andhra Pradesh and its culture during the movement for the separate statehood of Telangana. He came under fire from Pro-Andhra protesters, who demanded that he tender an apology.
The book launch was cancelled by the organizers following the protests. The police had to intervene and escort the author back to Hyderabad.
“It was really scary. The protesters abused me and the women who tried to protect me. Fortunately, the women gathered around and saved me. Otherwise, I would have been attacked physically too,” Sky Baaba told TNM.
“The police didn’t do much to disperse the angry mob,” he added.
Sky Baaba went on to add that many things were said during the movement for a separate state. Many have set aside their differences and are working together as neighbours, as Telugu speaking people, he said.
“During the recently held World Telugu Conference, many poets and writers from Andhra were invited to Hyderabad and none of the people from Telangana protested it,” he said.
Saying that it was sad that authors are being targeted, Sky Baaba said, “Even Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao who criticized Andhra previously on numerous occasions was extended a warm welcome into the state (referring to the wedding of TDP leader Paritala Sriram’s wedding, during which both Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu and KCR were present). Recently, Pawan Kalyan and KCR also met. It is sad that only authors are being targeted. We have to shed the bitter past and moved on.”
Alleging that the protest against him was pre-planned, he said, “It was an organized campaign to disrupt the event and the protesters were none other than TDP workers.”
The protesters had brought along copies of his earlier writings and demanded an apology, raising slogans of ‘Jai Telugu Talli’.
Sky Baaba was supposed to launch his book Mokhami, a compilation of poems by 20 Muslim poets from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.