Hyderabad: With the municipal elections less than a few months away, Telangana’s State Congress is continuing its onslaught against the government for demolishing two mosques and a temple on the Secretariat premises.
The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Minorities Department Chairman Shaik Abdullah and party activists lodged complaints at the Saifabad Police Station. That too, after the city’s Congress Minorities Department Chairman Sameer Waliullah and TPCC Spokesperson Syed Nizamuddin lodged a similar complaint in July only for the police to dismiss it.
Via a press release, Abdullah stated, “We have lodged fresh complaints demanding registration of a criminal case against Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, Wakf Board Chairman Mohammed Saleem and others who are responsible for the demolition of places of worship to facilitate the construction of a new Secretariat building.”
They demanded an FIR be filed against those whom they deemed responsible for the demolitions.
Initially, nearly 500 Congress activists were going to lodge separate complaints at the Saifabad Police Station. However, due to the need for social distancing in pandemic-ridden times, they decided against doing so.
The Chairman believes that the razed places of worship were not owned by the State Government despite being located on the Secretariat premises. Being Wakf properties, Masjid-e-Moatamadi and Masjid-e-Hashmi were protected under many central laws.
The Chairman believes that the razed places of worship were not owned by the State Government despite being located on the Secretariat premises. Being Wakf properties, Masjid-e-Moatamadi and Masjid-e-Hashmi were protected under many central laws.
Plus, according to Abdullah, the Wakf Board should have filed a complaint but instead remained silent and paid lip-service to calls for reconstructing the mosques and temple.
He also added that they will not allow a new Secretariat to be constructed until the three places of worship are rebuilt.