The BRS leader decried communal ideologies and said Telangana would reject politics that incited violence to reap political benefits.
Published Aug 04, 2023 | 9:44 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 04, 2023 | 9:45 PM
The accused Chetan Singh Choudhary (left) and the deceased Syed Saifuddin. (Supplied)
Telangana Municipal Administration Minister KT Rama Rao on Friday, 4 August, assured a government job and house to the family of Syed Saifuddin, a Hyderabad resident who was gunned down allegedly by an RPF constable on the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express on 31 July.
The BRS leader also promised to fund the expenses of Saifuddin’s three daughters — aged six, four, and six months.
The burial ceremony of Saifuddin took place in his village Himalpur in Karnataka’s Bidar district on Thursday around 8 am.
Extending his condolences to the family, KTR said he would immediately issue orders to provide employment to the widow either in the Hyderabad Municipal Development Authority (HMDA), Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), or the Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority (QQSUDA).
He also promised a two-room bedroom house to the family under a housing scheme and a fixed deposit of ₹2 lakh each to the daughters of the deceased.
The BRS leader also assured to extend other help on behalf of the government.
KTR also decried communal politics and hoped that communal harmony would flourish in the state.
“We know what caused the Jaipur killings or triggered Manipur violence as also the recent incidents in Haryana. Telangana will reject the politics that incites violence in order to reap political benefits. It is not good for India or the next generation. We will make sure that there continues to be peace, brotherhood, and social harmony in our state,” the minister reportedly said.
Speaking to South First, Saifuddin’s brother-in-law Mohammad Akheel thanked the Telangana government.
“It is good that they have supported Saifuddin’s family as we demanded. Nampally MLA Jaffar Hussain sir from Hyderabad informed us about this. We were expecting support from Telangana government as Saifuddin was a resident of Hyderabad and some of us in the family are too,” he said.
KTR, son of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, suggested that the AIMIM also provide assistance to the family.
KTR’s assurance came in response to a request for help made by AIMIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi in the Legislative Assembly to the family of the Hyderabad resident.
At the burial of Syed Saifuddin in Bidar. (Ajay Tomar/South First)
Owaisi, an MLA representing the Chandrayangutta constituency, urged KTR in the Telangana Assembly to provide a government job to the wife of Saifuddin, a flat under the two-bedroom housing scheme, and also compensation to the family.
He alleged that the train firing incident, which was carried out based on the identity of the victims, is an example of growing radicalisation in the country.
“Hatred between Hindus and Muslims is being fostered. The communities are being radicalised so much that they become enemies of each other. Muslims are being killed in the name of love jihad and ghar wapsi. Power is being sought on the basis of hatred. Telangana has been successful in preventing such forces. We will continue to defeat these forces and prove Muslims and Hindus can coexist in harmony in Telangana,” Owaisi reportedly said.
Akheel said the AIMIM had been assisting the family since the beginning, and that they would be meeting MLA Hussain next week.
“We could bring back Saifuddin’s mortal remains because of the AIMIM’s help only. We will be thanking MLA Jaffer. We will also take the relevant documents required for the process,” he said.
Saifuddin was one among the four people killed by a Railway Protection Force (RPF) constable, Chetan Singh Choudhary (33), onboard the Jaipur-Mumbai Central Express (12956) near Palghar railway station in Maharashtra around 5 am on 31 July.
He had been working as a mobile technician for more than a decade.
A native of Hamilapur village in Karnataka’s Bidar district, he is survived by three daughters of which the youngest one is just six months old. The other two are aged six and four.
After the incident, a video of the accused Choudhary standing next to one of the deceased he had allegedly shot dead went viral on social media.
In the video, he purportedly said, “Pakistan se operate hue ye, aur media yehi coverage dikha rahi hai, unko sab pata chal raha hai ye kya kar rahe hain… Agar vote dena hai, agar Hindustan mein rehna hai to mai kehta hoon Modi aur Yogi, ye do hain… aur aapke Thackery sahab.”
Constable Choudhary also gunned down two other men, Asgar Abbas Ali (48) from Bihar and Abdul Kadar Mohamed Hussain Bhanpurwala (64) from Palghar in Maharashtra.
Residents of Battery Lane at AC Guards locality in Hyderabad, where Saifudding used to reside and his fellow villagers in Himalpur village in Bidar told South First that it a “hate crime” earlier.
