CM KCR warns hatemongers

Police directed to take stern action against anarchist forces

Hyderabad: Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Wednesday directed the police to initiate stern action against the anarchist forces that are conspiring to incite communal hatred and create unrest in Telangana State, particularly in Hyderabad, ahead of the GHMC polls on December 1.

Stating that the government had specific information in this regard, the Chief Minister made it clear that maintaining law and order as well as peace and security in Telangana State was paramount.

“During the GHMC poll campaign, certain leaders are trying to derive political mileage through several conspiracies. People who want to gain political mileage by disturbing religious harmony should be dealt with severely. The State government is willing to give a free hand to the police in crushing such anti-social elements with an iron hand,” he said, at a high-level review meeting on law and order at Pragathi Bhavan here.

The Chief Minister said the conspiracy to create unrest was initially started through false propaganda on social media platforms using morphed images and provocative statements to mislead people. “But such attempts were ignored by the peace-loving people of Hyderabad and there has been no response from them to the provocative false propaganda to spread religious hatred. They (anarchist forces) understood that attempts to distribute money and garner votes will not work in Hyderabad, and hence, have stooped to new lows and are now trying to foment communal riots,” he said.

Chandrashekhar Rao said efforts are being made by the anti-social elements to trigger riots in Karimnagar, Warangal, Khammam and other places in the State and then take advantage of it in the GHMC elections. He said such efforts were also being made in Hyderabad to create trouble and give it a religious colour, before they create problems in places of worship. “By resorting to such acts, these forces want to incite communal hatred among the people. We have specific information that by igniting communal riots, they want to create unrest leading to postponement of GHMC elections,” he revealed.

Asserting that peace and harmony in Hyderabad as well as the State should not be disturbed under any circumstance and any that any such attempt should not be tolerated, the Chief Minister recalled how people had strived hard and achieved Telangana State. The TRS government, he said, was now working tirelessly for development of the State. “We will not compromise on maintaining law and order. We got rid of gambling dens and illicit liquor as well as dealt sternly with anti-social elements, the mafia and other criminals that received good support from the people of the State. We took an uncompromising stance in maintaining peace and suppressing anti-social elements,” he declared.

The Chief Minister stated that people in Hyderabad were leading their lives without troubling others in a peaceful manner. Hence, the city had earned the reputation of being the safest city and attracting large scale investments. Over 1.6 crore people are living in harmony in Hyderabad under three police commissionerates. “Under these circumstances, the State government’s primary responsibility is to protect its citizens and maintain law and order. We will not spare those who try to disturb the tranquility of Hyderabad through communal hatred. They must be dealt with stringently, notwithstanding their social or economic status. The police must act tough even if they belong to the ruling party. We need to be vigilant and thwart such conspiracies,” he said.

Chandrashekhar Rao urged the people to remain vigilant against the anti-social elements that were trying to create communal tensions in Hyderabad and disrupt peace and security. He urged the youth not to get misled or provoked by those who are trying to incite emotions and instead, stay away from such forces. He also urged the political parties to contest the GHMC elections in a democratic and transparent manner.

Police officials assured the Chief Minister that the department would be on full alert and thwart any attempt to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in Hyderabad. They vowed to ensure that not even a minor untoward incident takes place anywhere in the State.

Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, DGP M Mahender Reddy, Hyderabad police commissioner Anjani Kumar, Cyberabad police commissioner VC Sajjanar, Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagawat, additional DGP Jithender, IGPs Stephen Ravindra, Y Nagireddy, Nizamabad IG Shivashankar Reddy, Warangal IG Pramod Kumar and other senior officials attended the meeting.

 

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