Tension continues in old city of Hyderabad

Tension continued to grip the communally sensitive areas of old city of Hyderabad on Monday with mobs indulging in unabated stone hurling in different parts, even as the beleaguered police force is finding it difficult to contain the communal clashes that began on Saturday night.

Police used tear gas shells and stun grenades after repeated lathicharges, but did not have the desired impact. Heavy police contingents including the CRPF and RAF have been deployed in the old city but attacks on religious places and people at random continued.

Frenzied mobs raising full throated slogans were engaging the police forces in a hide and seek game in the labyrinthine lanes and bylanes of the old city.

Alarmed over the developing situation Home Minister,P. Sabitha Indra Reddy toured the area and assured the residents that peace would be restored in the areas. The DGP R.R. Girish Kumar too visited the troubled areas, while the Commissioner of Police, A.K. Khan is camping in the old city overseeing the security arrangements.

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah convened a meeting of senior police officers to take stock of the situation and the Home Minister Ms. Reddy met the city legislators and sought cooperation in restoring normalcy.

However, trouble broke out in the old city again hours after the Home Minister left the area.

Heavy stone hurling was reported at Lal Darwaza, a locality having mixed population of Hindus and Muslims. Groups of people wielding sticks and stones positioned themselves in their respective ‘strongholds’ and indulged in what is being described as the ’heaviest’ stone pelting so far. Police moved in to disperse the crowds, but the mobs had just melted into the bylanes only to resurface as the police teams retreated.

Trouble began in the old city on Saturday night when two groups belonging to different communities clashed over a dispute on hoisting religious flags in Moosa Bowli locality. Violence spread to different areas instantly. The skirmishes continued on Sunday too with innocent people being marked and attacked at different places simultaneously, as rumour mongers had a field day using short messages to spread unfounded reports of religious places being attacked.

By Sunday night, normalcy appeared to have returned, but clashes broke out again on Monday morning.