Tension in old city as MIM, Cong clash

Tension prevailed in the Mirchowk area here today as MIM and Congress workers clashed during the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls and the police had to resort to lathi-charge to disperse them. The trouble started when Congress candidate Mohammad Gouse and Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) MLA Pasha Quadri had a confrontation in Mirchowk in old city following which they were taken into police custody briefly. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) chief Uttam Kumar Reddy and Congress leader in the Council Shabbir Ali reached Mirchowk Police station, where Mohammad Gouse was kept in custody, Assistant Police Commissioner, Mirchowk division, Srinivas Rao, said. MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also reached there just about the same time which escalated tension between the two groups, he said. "Police had to resort to mild lathi-charge to disperse the agitated party workers when they, led by their respective leaders, gathered at the police station," Rao said. A vehicle belonging Reddy was allegedly damaged by miscreants, he added. Uttam Kumar Reddy termed it as "a conspiracy by both Telangana Rashtra Samithi and MIM". "Somehow, they want to win the elections," he said. He said the police released Gouse after a lot of "pressure". "We were attacked by Asaduddin Owaisi and his supporters. They broke my car. They manhandled the leader of Opposition. I have filed police case on this issue," Reddy said. Later in the evening, Congress party held a sit-in agitation in front of the DGP's office demanding punishment to those responsible for attack on its leaders. MIM MLA Pasha was also released later. In a separate incident, police had to disperse MIM workers when they allegedly tried to attack Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mahmood Ali's son Azam Ali. MIM MLA Ahmed Balala was taken into custody in this connection, police said.