Hyderabad: Tension gripped the Raidurgam area under Cyberabad police limits late Tuesday night after an alleged mob attack on Muslim youth in Shaikpet. The attackers, reportedly belonging to right-wing groups, forced victims to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ while inflicting violence, reported the Siasat.
The incident occurred around midnight near a local hotel in Shaikpet. According to the victims, a group of men armed with sticks and swords stormed the area, vandalizing a pan shop and the hotel’s furniture. Upon spotting Muslim youths, the attackers reportedly chased and assaulted them, leading to multiple injuries.
As news of the incident spread, local youth from Shaikpet gathered at the site and raised slogans against the attackers, condemning the communal violence. The injured victims alleged that the attack was premeditated, aimed at creating communal tension by selectively targeting members of the Muslim community.
Police arrived at the scene quickly and dispatched special teams to identify and apprehend the culprits. The incident comes on the heels of other violent episodes in Hyderabad in the days surrounding Eid-ul-Adha (Bakrid).
Just two days earlier, on June 8, a cattle transporter was attacked in Attapur. In another incident in Jalpally, miscreants set fire to a DCM truck carrying animal waste, also linked to post-Bakrid tensions.
At N.M. Guda in Attapur, members of a self-styled group known as “Kataar Gau Raksha Dal” reportedly stopped an auto-rickshaw transporting two bulls, assaulted the driver, and damaged the vehicle. The situation escalated when opposing groups gathered, leading to stone-pelting and injuries to three police officers. The police registered two cases each in Attapur and Mailardevpally and are searching for several absconding suspects.
In connection to the violence at Attapur and Mailardevpally, Cyberabad police arrested 25 individuals on Monday. Authorities confirmed that the arrests were related to clashes that erupted over animal sacrifice-related issues during Bakrid.
Activists and observers in the city are expressing growing concern over the surge in communal violence in Hyderabad. Many attribute the rising tensions to the increasing activities of right-wing groups, particularly under the Congress-led state government, which critics claim has failed to prevent such incidents.
The latest attack at Shaikpet is being seen as part of a disturbing pattern of communal targeting and religious intolerance, raising alarm among local communities and rights organizations.
