Raja Singh was not in Chengicherla in Hyderabad when clashes broke out on Sunday. Yet, there seems to be his indirect involvement.
The Pitala Basthi in Chengicherla (Deepika Pasham/ South First)
Usually, BJP leader T Raja Singh finds himself in the eye of the storm for his controversial speeches. Even the Supreme Court said some of his speeches were “certainly objectionable”!
However, he appeared to have been nowhere near Pittala Basti in the Chengicherla locality of Hyderabad when clashes broke out between two communities on Sunday, 24 March.
Yet, those who played a role in the incident — only time will tell whether they were victims or perpetrators — pointed to his involvement, however indirect, in the unrest.
It took South First some time to get to the bottom of affairs, especially after officials described the scene as peaceful on Tuesday.
The tensions had simmered down after the authorities — the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and the police — intervened.
The police had set up barricades at multiple points, spanning over 2 km, to prevent new individuals from entering the sensitive area.
Officers stationed at these barricades were stopping each person to inquire about their purpose for visiting, permitting only residents of the locality to pass through.
Workers in brown uniforms construct entry points to monitor the flow of people (Deepika Pasham/ South First)
Upon entry, one could observe workers in brown uniforms actively constructing entry points to monitor the flow of people.
Alongside, there were meat shops with Muslim names in Hindu-dominated areas like Mekala Mandi, known for selling sheep.
The clashes, which commenced on Sunday evening, involved two groups who would go on to lodge counter-complaints, accusing each other of attacking them with sticks and stones.
While approaching the area, South First was halted by police officers warning against entry.
During this encounter, an 11-year-old local boy named Parmesh revealed, “I don’t attend school. I stay at home. Last Saturday, those Muslims attacked our family.” He gestured towards the Muslim households.
A road divided the two religious groups — each residing opposite the other.
Speaking with South First, both groups claimed that they were not being allowed to move out of their houses as the police were being strict for days.
An elderly man who had a shop nearby informed South First that in the past 15 years, there had been no recorded disturbance in the locality.
He stated, “We — Muslims and Hindus — have coexisted peacefully here. This is the first incident of its kind.”
He recounted: “The altercation was between two groups, but it almost died down until Hindu groups — including BJP leaders — arrived and escalated the situation. Our businesses have been halted for the last two days. We could open the shops only on Tuesday. ”
Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) S Anil Kumar, who is investigating the case registered based on the Muslim community’s complaint, said that currently nobody was being allowed into the locality due to the sensitivity of the situation and also the Model Code of Conduct being in place.
“As there are counter cases, we have been interrogating people from both communities. The injured have been administered first aid. Two women and one man are among the injured,” he added.
Shadul Khan, one of the witnesses who has also been booked by the police, whose recounting of the Sunday-evening events brought forth the significance of the “Raja Singh songs”.
It turned out to be what a late-2022 Time magazine article described as a “relatively new rancorous genre of music, commonly known as ‘Hindutva pop’.”
These are songs composed using modern music aesthetics but with tinges of religious overtones.
And that is where the connection to T Raja Singh — the incumbent MLA from Goshamahal in Hyderabad who was once suspended from the party before being reinducted before the 30 November Telangana Assembly elections — surfaces.
Khan said such songs were being played on Sunday, and that was what triggered people from his community.
He referred to them as “Raja Singh songs” because of the word-of-mouth fame — or infamy — of similar Hindutva-pop songs that were played at Raja Singh’s rallies that also featured his hate speeches.
Shops have been shut while moving closer to the area (Deepika Pasham/ South First)
Khan told South First: “It was our Azan time in the evening and we were heading for prayers in the mosque.”
He recalled: “Though nobody was celebrating Holi on Sunday, the Pittala Basti families were playing songs of Hindutva and Raja Singh. They were increasing the volume, and were dancing and making instigating gestures whenever a Muslim walked out of the mosque.”
Khan also alleged: “All of them were drunk and were blocking the road.”
He continued: “We have controlled our anger and called up the Medipally police. By the time the police reached the spot, we had recorded videos of their behaviour and also asked them to stop. But nobody listened to us, and they used abusive language.”
That was how the clashes started, he said.
Pointing to the ongoing month of Ramadan, Khan said: “This is our only month with a big festival. We kept having minor arguments earlier but it escalated on Saturday. Then there were a lot of BJP supporters sided with the Pittala Basti families, and the incident flared up.”
Gnaneshwar — the husband of Rupa, one of the women injured in the clashes — told South First, “My wife was severely injured and bleeding. We were playing Holi songs and celebrating when the Muslim groups demanded that we stop the music. This led to an argument on Sunday.”
The Medipally police have registered two cases in this regard, under Sections 147, 148, and 324 read with Section 34 of the Indian Penal Code.
One of the cases is against 16 members of the Muslim community, and another against four members of the Hindu community.
(Edited by Arkadev Ghoshal)
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