Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi's brother Akbaruddin Owaisi, who is an MLA in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, is in legal trouble as the police have filed an FIR against him for allegedly making a hate speech. The Nirmal police station in Adilabad district, where Owaisi had given the alleged hate speech, has registered a case under Indian Penal Code Section 153(a) (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony). Another case is likely to be registered in Nizamabad district as well following a Hyderabad court's order.
The court had on Thursday ordered the police to register FIR against Akbaruddin Owaisi for an alleged hate speech made by him even as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy assured that "anyone who hurts sentiments will be dealt with as per law."
"If anyone has hurt sentiments you can be rest assured they will be firmly dealt with. Congress is a secular government and anyone who hurts sentiments will be dealt with as per law," Reddy said. "Law will take its own course. We have not directed the police in any way. Anyone who has broken law will be dealt with. The government will not take action, the police will," Reddy added.
The case regarding the hate speech made by Akbaruddin nearly 10 days ago on December 24, 2012 in Adilabad will come up for hearing at 4 pm on Thursday. The court order came on a petition filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which accused the government of not taking strict action in the case.
"I am really shocked and surprised about the criminal silence of the state government. Why is the Chief Minister, why is the DGP silent? Is the Andhra Pradesh government worried about the political fallout? The BJP will not take it lying down, we will take it up as a serious issue," BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu said in Hyderabad.
Social media like Twitter was buzzing with outrage over Akbaruddin's speech. However, there was no reaction on the speech in the political community. Actor and director Farhan Akhtar had tweeted, "how can 2 girls be arrested in less than 24 hrs for a harmless FB post but Owaisi roams free after his blatantly communal rant? #JustAsking."
Owaisi had made the incendiary speech, using inflammatory and derogatory words, in Adilabad. A Hyderabad court has also admitted a criminal complaint against him.
This is not the first time that Akbaruddin, currently in London, has proved controversial. Five-years ago, he and his supporters had physically attacked the Bangladeshi writer, Taslima Nasreen for her alleged anti-Muslim views. The MIM was a part of the United Progressive Alliance alliance till a few months ago even though the Owaisis have had a track record of raising the communal temperature with their speeches.
The hate speech of the junior Owaisi has raised questions of whether notions of secularism tend to be selective and why the Owaisis have been allowed to get away for so long. Akbaruddin is an MLA in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly, representing the Chandrayangutta constituency in Hyderabad.
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