The Hyderabad Police on Wednesday arrested a corporator for obstructing policemen from discharging their duty and for threatening them.
Ghouseuddin Mohammed, a corporator of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) from Bholakpur division, was booked and arrested after Telangana minister K.T. Rama Rao asked the state police chief to act against the corporator who was caught on camera obstructing police personnel on duty, abusing and threatening them.
The corporator belonging to the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) entered into an argument with the police personnel on night patrol and behaved rudely with him for trying to close down shops which were open past midnight in Bholakpur under the limits of Musheerabad police station.
The video of the incident, which occurred in the early hours of April 5, went viral on social media, evoking strong reactions from some netizens.
Ghouseuddin pulled up the policemen for forcing closure of shops despite permission to keep the shops open till late hours in view of Ramzan.
"This won't work in my area. Do your duty and leave...You were told not to come to this area for this entire month," the corporator is heard telling the police constables.
The corporator called one of the police constables as "sau rupaye ka aadmi" or a person who receives petty bribes.
The issue was reportedly sorted out after Ghouseuddin went to the police station on Tuesday and apologised to the constables.
However, as the video went viral and with demands being made by netizens to take action against those who obstructed police officers, state minister for municipal administration and urban development K.T. Rama Rao on Wednesday asked Director General of Police M. Mahender Reddy to 'take stern action against the individuals who obstructed police officers on duty.'
"No such nonsense should be tolerated in Telangana irrespective of political affiliations," Rama Rao tweeted.
After KTR's tweet, police registered a case against corporator under sections 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Police Code.
Musheerabad police later arrested the corporator and produced him before a magistrate.
BJP MLA Raja Singh had also tweeted on the incident. He called it a clear warning to police not to enter the corporator's area for the next 30 days. "Too much freedom leads to this," he remarked.
BJP's national Amit Malviya too reacted to the incident. "Soon after the privileged dynast sanctimoniously preached that businesses must pack bags and move to Hyderabad, AIMIM Corporator stripped the veneer off TRS's face, and reminded them that even police are not safe in Telangana... TRS must first manage the monster in their backyard," he tweeted.
Malviya was apparently referring to KTR advising the founder of a startup to move to Hyderabad after he flagged the issue of poor infrastructure in Bengaluru.
