Hyderabad still tense, most areas shut

Commissioner imposes ban on assembly of more than four persons for three days

HYDRABAD:

Most areas and markets of Hyderabad remained closed on Monday in protest against the alleged desecration of the Holy Quran. The court granted physical remand of the incident's accused person while the man who provoked Muslims to attack the Hindu community is being released.

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad commissioner has enforced a ban on the assembly of more than four persons in all the nine districts of the division to prevent recurrence of the violent backlash which erupted in Hyderabad on August 21.

"There is still a fear that charged people may take to streets and create law and order situation," reads the commissioner's notification, issued on Monday. The ban will remain in place until August 24.

The policemen not below the rank of inspectors have been directed to register FIRs against the people violating the ban.

Separately, the desecration accused Ashok Kumar, who is a sweeper by profession, was produced before a civil judge and judicial magistrate on Monday.

The judge granted his seven-day physical remand to the police for further interrogation. The investigation officer apprised the court that suspected accomplices of the accused are still at large which required his custody with the police.

The Hyderabad police had also arrested dozens of people for resorting to a violent reaction to the incident and booked 48 of them with names in FIR registered at the Cantt police station on the state's complaint.

They were nominated under sections 353, 147, 148, 149, 427 and 337 (Hii) of Pakistan Penal Code.

The court, however, granted bail to all the accused against sureties of Rs20,000 submitted by each of them.

Meanwhile, a man named Ahsaan, a local trader, who was arrested for sharing his video on the social media in which he provoked the Muslims to attack Hindus has not been charged with this offence despite his arrest late on Sunday night.

A police official told that he is going to be released against personal surety.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 23^rd, 2022.