Telangana: Muslims' prayers on Secretariat premises foiled

Hyderabad: The members of the Muslim Joint Action Committee (JAC) on Sunday offered afternoon prayers on road near Secretariat after they were not allowed to enter the premises of where two mosques stood, before the State government demolished all the structures inside the Secretariat. Later, they were detained by the police.

The JAC convener Mushtaq Malik, who led the 'million March' against CAA-NRC last year and other offered Namaz in front of BSNL office near the Secretariat. Later, on receiving information about the gathering of JAC members and other Muslims, the central zone police reached the spot and took the activists into custody.

Mushtaq Malik, along with congress leaders Feroz Khan, Osman Mohammed Khan, Rasheed Khan, MBT leader Syed Mustafa Mehmood and other JAC activists, were arrested by police when they were trying to enter the Secretariat complex.

After 'Chalo Secretariat Masjid' call given by the JAC the police remained alert across City and districts. Some were placed under house arrest including Majlis Bachao Tehreek (MBT) spokesperson Amjedullah Khan in Chanchalguda. While in Nizamabad, MBT Nizamabad President Abdul Basith and Abdul Ghani General Secretary IUML were detained by Nizamabad police in Town-1 and Mohammed Wajhiullah Khan, Ahle Hadees in Town-2 and besides several others.

According to Mushtaq Malik, two mosques including Masjid-e-Mohammadia and Masjid-e-Hashmi located within the vicinity of Old Secretariat building were razed by the authorities on July 6, 2020 and after agitation by JAC TS&AP, the Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao assured on September 6, 2020 on the floor of the Assembly that both demolished mosques would be re-constructed in first week of October 2020. But it has been six months that the reconstruction work has not been started. "Even peaceful protests are not being tolerated. The government will face the wrath as they have demolished the religious structures."

"We are demanding the Government to rebuild the two mosques immediately. The Chief Minister should fulfill his promise made in the house of Assembly," he noted.