Raja Singh row: Protests continue to shake some parts of Hyd

Hyderabad: Tension continued in the city following the derogatory comments of BJP legislator T Raja Singh against Prophet Mohammed and his subsequent release on bail on Tuesday.

Groups of youngsters continued their protest in the city. Reports of protest came in from Amberpet, Tallabkatta, Charminar, Moghalpura, Khilwat, Bahadurpura and Chanchalguda.

The surroundings of Charminar continued to be witness the maximum late night protest. The police presence was beefed up and additional policemen deployed at the monument.

The police closed down the Puranapul Bridge and Moosarambagh bridge as a precautionary measure. Police intensified patrolling in all areas of the city. A police vehicle was damaged by a group of protesters at Moghalpura.

It is to mention here that, barring sporadic instances of violence, Tuesday night passed off peacefully in Hyderabad. A Sub-inspector and two civilians were injured in separate incidents while a police vehicle and three private vehicles were damaged by protestors at various places.

The protest had started on Monday night after Goshamahal legislator T Raja Singh allegedly made derogatory comments against Prophet Mohammed. Following a complaint, a case was booked against him and he was arrested on Tuesday morning. Subsequently he was released.

At Shahalibanda, a large crowd gathered around midnight on Tuesday and staged a protest for four hours. The protestors demanded arrest of the legislator. Effigies were burned by the mob and on a couple of instances, the police tried to disperse the crowd and resorted to lathicharge. A Sub-inspector from the City Police headquarters was injured in the stone pelting that followed. Later the officials allowed the protest to continue.

Groups of youngsters wielding sticks tried to march towards Goshamahal. A large contingent of police was deployed at MJ Bridge City College and prevented the people from crossing the bridge.

Additional CP (law and order) DS Chauhan pacified the agitated youth and dispersed the groups at MJ Bridge and Charminar.

At Moghalpura a mob damaged a police vehicle.

Tension escalated at Begum Bazaar chatri when a group of youth who took out a rally through the area were attacked allegedly by supporters of Raja Singh. The police intervened and dispersed them. The police also took into custody several persons and shifted them to different police stations.

Meanwhile, educational institutions in older parts of the city declared a holiday on Wednesday fearing violence.