Hyderabad's Old City calm after Owaisi appeals for peaceful Friday prayers

Most parts of the Old City area in Hyderabad were calm on Friday after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday appealed to the citizens to ensure peaceful Friday prayers following the unrest over suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh's comments on Prophet Mohammad.

Hyderabad's Mecca masjid and Bhagyalakshmi temple areas were reportedly peaceful. All shops and other establishments in the Shalibanda area started functioning after they were shut down earlier due to ongoing protests.

Devotees too started to pay a visit to places of worship after peace returned.

However, police personnel, Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were deployed in the area.

Earlier on Thursday, Owaisi appealed to the citizens to ensure peaceful Friday prayers tomorrow and said that their "biggest demand" of getting BJP leader T Raja Singh detained and suspended over his remarks on Prophet Mohammad has been fulfilled.

Protests erupted in Telangana following the alleged remarks by the suspended BJP leader on Prophet Mohammed. Singh has been detained under the Preventive Detention Act and is being lodged in Central Prison, Cheriapally, said Hyderabad Police on Thursday.

According to the police, 101 criminal cases were registered against the suspended BJP leader who was "involved in 18 communal offences".

"T. Raja Singh has been detained under Act No.1 of 1986 on August 25 that is PD Act as per the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad City," said the police.

The police said that Singh has been "habitually delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches" and "driving a wedge between communities leading to public disorder".

Referring to the video released by Singh on YouTube, the police said that the protests erupted in different parts of Hyderabad City and other parts of Telangana after the video went viral, and "drove a wedge between communities and disturbed the peaceful nature of Hyderabad and Telangana State".

The police said in a release that the detainee commented "very blasphemously against Prophet Mohammed and his lifestyle".

He was earlier taken into custody on Tuesday. However, he was released after a Court order.The FIR was registered against him at the Dabeerpura Police Station under sections 153(A), 295, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code.

The BJP suspended the MLA and said his remarks were against the party's line.

(ANI)

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