Asad blames Kiran for violence

Squarely blaming chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy for the violence that shook the Old City on Friday, MIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that peace in the area depended solely on the chief minister.

“Kiran Reddy is personally responsible for the violence today. It is a tradition for Muslims to offer salaam at the Chilla (in Charminar). Had they allowed them to offer it, there would have been no problem,” Owaisi told Express.

The MIM supremo further said that the government acted in a haphazard and biased manner by not allowing the Muslims to offer prayers at the chilla.

“A curfew-like situation is prevailing in old city. The way the innocents were thrashed by policemen shows the bias,” Owaisi said.

Hyderabad: Home minister P Sabita Indra Reddy said that the situation was under control in the Old City. Speaking to reporters after reviewing the situation on Friday, the minister said that tight security measures would be taken and called upon people to cooperate with police to restore normalcy in the Old City.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Congress committee general secretary G Niranjan and his followers submitted a memorandum to the home minister alleging that the Bhagyalaxmi temple row was a deliberate move by the MIM to malign the state government. The leaders urged Sabita to act sternly to restore peace in the violence-hit area.