It was a curfew-like situation in the Old City on Wednesday, as the police cracked down on protests on the streets and ordered all shops to close by 7.30 p.m. The restrictions came after Goshmahal MLA T. Raja Singh expressed concern regarding tension in the city.
Deputy commissioner of police for the South Zone, Sai Chaitanya, said on Wednesday that the police will not allow any further protests in the Old City since Tuesday. In response to statements released on social media, he requested that citizens and protesters not get provoked.”
Every shop was to be closed, except for medical shops that were permitted to remain open round-the-clock, he notified the assistant commissioners and station house officers.
“We have already taken action against the person who deliberately released a video to hurt a community’s religious sentiments,” Chaitanya told the media. According to our information, the release of the video on August 22 was the result of a well-planned conspiracy to provoke a particular community. We have formed a special legal team to pursue further action.
In a message to the public, Chaitanya asked them not to react to videos on social media platforms and to ensure that Hyderabad’s peaceful atmosphere was not disturbed.
Several sensitive areas outside the Old City have been identified by the city police, who are keeping a close watch to prevent protests and untoward incidents. According to police sources, a legal cell comprised of senior criminal advocates and senior police officials started adding sections to the IT Act such as provocation, spreading hate, and disturbing communal harmony.
A deserted look began to develop on the normally busy streets of the Old City, including the main thoroughfares. Police initially targeted liquor shops and fuel stations where people could gather in large numbers, shutting them down early. People lined up at petrol stations to fill up their vehicles after the sudden decision to shut down businesses early resulted in many roads looking deserted.
As a result of the sudden release of such orders, commuters heading to the Old City faced great difficulty since they had to take longer routes to reach the Old City. Due to route diversions, traffic congestion occurred in areas such as Asifnagar, Mangalhat, Habibnagar, Nampally, Malapally, Koti, Dilsukhnagar, Saidabad, Chaderghat, Malakpet, Moosarambagh, Madannapet, Santoshnagar and Chandrayangutta after 8 pm.
A flag march was conducted by Rapid Action Force (RAF) troops in presence of Chaitanya in Moghalpura, Sultanshahi, Alijah Kotla, Shalibanda, and surrounding areas.
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