Hyderabad: Sabi Devi has been selling soft toys near Charminar for 22 years. On Sunday evening, May 24, she and four other women hawkers were detained at the Charminar Police Station from 7 pm to 10 pm, produced before a court and fined Rs 200 each for creating public nuisance. Two days later, she says they were also made to clean the police station.
“Whenever the police ask us to move our carts, we do it,” Devi told Siasat.com. “Yet, they detained and penalised us.”
Devi insisted that she and the others had not violated any laws. She also said she only learned about the news coverage of their conviction when her neighbours told her. And she was shocked to see it.
What happened on May 24
The five women – Sabi Devi, Manu Devi, Shankutala, Anju Singh and Manisha – were booked under Section 292 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly obstructing pedestrians on the main road near Charminar. The police had described the group as hawkers selling artificial flowers, though Devi says she sells soft toys.
According to the police, the women continued selling despite repeated requests to clear the passage and, at one point, rammed their carts into tourists.
All five reside at TKR Kamaan and are originally from Rajasthan. Devi herself is from Alwar. They were produced before a court, which convicted them and imposed the fine.
Devi said they paid their challans at the Nampally court as directed. “We accepted our mistake and apologised. We even did sit-ups in front of the judge. But he didn’t pay heed and pressed the charges,” she said.
It may have happened by mistake: Devi
Devi disputes the police’s version. She says the tourists were not deliberately injured. “The police accused us of standing in the middle of the pedestrian area and injuring pedestrians while moving our carts. It may have happened by mistake,” she said.
She also alleged that other hawkers in the area do not allow them to set up elsewhere near Charminar. When she raised this with the Circle Inspector, she says he told them to stand near Gulzar Houz or the Madina Building, or return to Rajasthan. A police official also allegedly warned them of imprisonment if they were seen at Charminar again.
Three of the five women – Manu Devi, Shankutala and Anju Singh – did not return to Charminar on Tuesday, May 26, after their conviction made headlines. Manisha was present but declined to speak. Sabi Devi was the only one willing to talk.
They served food, not swept floors: Police
Charminar Station House Officer (SHO) T Rambabu rejected the claim that the women were made to clean the station. “They were ordered to do social service, so we made them serve food and water to the elderly. They were not asked to clean the police station,” he told Siasat.com.
He attributed the women’s account to inexperience with the legal system. “This was their first appearance in court. They may have been overwhelmed and made exaggerated claims,” Rambabu said.
On the incident itself, the SHO maintained that the women had been uncooperative. “They claimed to be scared of the police vehicles, despite knowing that police patrol the area on weekend evenings.”
He added that the women had been warned before. “They are from Rajasthan, so they may not have understood the warning. There are at least 1 lakh visitors at Charminar every week – crowd management is a serious challenge,” he said.
Eight convictions this month
The May 24 case was not an isolated one. Two street vendors and a bangle hawker had already been convicted on May 20 and May 17, respectively, for a similar offence. Rambabu confirmed that eight people, including the five women, have been convicted of creating public nuisance at Charminar so far in May.
Long-time hawkers in the area say detentions and fines are routine and have become more frequent over the past month. “My father sold bangles here for 25 years. I’ve taken over now. Detentions and challans are common. They detain you, you pay and they let you go,” Alam, a bangle seller in the area, told Siasat.com.
Sadiq, a chemist whose shop is on the road leading to Sardar Mahal, offered a different reading of the incident. “The police patrol regularly and hawkers generally move when asked. These women must have argued and that’s why they paid the price,” he said.
Sajjad, a banana seller near Charminar, echoed the sentiment that detentions are common but said the fines are usually small. Mateen, a photographer who also runs a jewellery store nearby, drew a line at the cleaning allegation. “The police detaining hawkers is one thing. But making women clean a police station – that is wrong,” he told Siasat.com.
Most shop owners at Pathergatti said they had not faced similar action, crediting their own cooperation with the police. “We don’t get into trouble because we don’t create it,” one of them said.
