Telangana announces job, flat for widow of Jaipur Express firing victim

Hyderabad: The Government of Telangana on Friday announced a government job and a double-bedroom flat for the family of a man from Hyderabad who was killed in the firing by a Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable on Jaipur-Mumbai Superfast Express on July 31.

Syed Saifuddin (48) was among the four persons gunned down by RPF constable Chetan Kumar.

Saifuddin, a resident of Bazar Ghat in Hyderabad, was returning after a visit to Ajmer along with the owner of the mobile shop he was employed at.

Minister for industries and information technology K. T. Rama Rao announced in the state Assembly on Friday that the government will provide a job to the widow of Saifuddin. “We will give her a job in GHMC or HMDA or QQSUDA. I will issue the orders tomorrow,” said Rama Rao, who is also minister for municipal administration and urban development.

Minister KTR also announced that a flat under the government’s double bed-room housing scheme will be allotted to the family.

He made the announcement when the issue was raised by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in the Assembly.

On Owaisi’s demand for compensation to the family, KTR said a decision in this regard would be taken by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

KTR, who is also working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), announced that the party will deposit Rs 2 lakh each for three daughters of Saifuddin. He suggested to AIMIM to come forward to provide some financial assistance to the family.

Saifuddin, a native of Hamilapur village in Karnataka’s Bidar district, is survived by three daughters of which the youngest one is just six months old. The other two are aged six and four.

Raising the issue, Akbaruddin Owaisi said the RPF constable shot dead three Muslim passengers who had long beards. The AIMIM leader said the killings were the result of growing radicalization and hatred being spread to create enmity between Hindus and Muslims.

Owaisi alleged those who captured power by spreading hatred were destroying the country. Stating that Telangana kept communal forces away for the last nine years, he appealed to the state government to set an example by extending assistance to the victim’s family.

KTR termed the killing of Saifuddin and others unfortunate. He remarked that everybody knows who is responsible for this incident and the violence in Haryana and Manipur.

He termed as disgusting attempts to spread hatred and create anarchy in the society in the name of religion for political gains. “Politics in the name of religion is disgusting. It’s not good for India and for coming generations,” he said.

He hoped that wisdom would prevail and this country would come to senses.

He called on Telangana society to reject such forces. He hoped that peace, communal harmony and ‘Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb’ prevails.

KTR hoped that "Hyderabad and the state would continue to remain in the hands of a gentleman like KCR who ensured communal harmony".

Conveying wholehearted condolences for the family of Saifuddin, he assured that the Telangana government will extend all possible assistance.