Telangana: 12 held after Banswada clash; constable injured, probe on

Hyderabad, Feb 21 (PTI) As many as twelve people were arrested in connection with the communal disturbance that left a police constable injured at Banswada in Telangana’s Kamareddy district, police said on Saturday.

Police resorted to a lathi-charge to control the situation after members of two communities gathered following an argument between a man and staff at a mall on Friday.

The man, who visited the mall in Banswada, objected to religious music being played and began recording a video, which was opposed by a woman staff member, police said.

“An altercation broke out between the man and the mall staff, leading to a clash in which he was injured,” a police official said.

Following the incident, members of both communities assembled, and some unidentified persons resorted to stone-pelting, prompting a mild lathi-charge by police.

Kamareddy Superintendent of Police M Rajesh Chandra on Saturday said a swift investigation was underway into the incident, and efforts were on to nab the absconding suspects.

In a release, the SP said some people gathered and attempted to incite religious animosity in the town, and also indulged in stone-pelting following a minor incident.

He asserted that strict action would be taken against anyone trying to provoke communal tensions or take the law into their own hands.

The situation in Banswada is now peaceful, with normal life restored, he said.

He also warned of action against those posting provocative content on social media, saying administrators of messaging groups would be held responsible for such posts.

The BJP said its state president N Ramchander Rao, who planned to visit Banswada and Kamareddy on Sunday, was put under house arrest in Hyderabad Saturday night.

In a video release, Ramchander Rao said BJP workers were taken into custody at Banswada following a bandh call given on Saturday some Hindu outfits and demanded their immediate release.

Meanwhile, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi expressed concern over the alleged rise in communal incidents in Telangana.

In a post on X, he said he had spoken to the Kamareddy SP and sought registration of an FIR and “a proper investigation” into the Banswada incident.

“How was such a large crowd mobilised within a few hours? There are enough videos showing the right-wing crowd’s criminal activities. They specifically targeted small shops and street vendors belonging to the minority community,” he alleged.

Owaisi said he had asked a party leader in Kamareddy to submit a detailed report on the damage caused by “mob violence, especially to Muslim-owned shops”.

He added that the state government should compensate those affected and that his party would also extend support. PTI SJR SSK SJR ROH