'Healthy' Akbaruddin Owaisi back from UK, complains of 'pain', 'soft' cops shun arrest

Andhra Pradesh MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi, facing multiple cases for alleged hate speech, will be subjected to medical examination by government doctors as he failed to appear before the police for questioning today citing ill health and as such avoid being arrested despite the serious nature of the case.

The Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) legislator, booked at three police stations in Andhra Pradesh, arrived here from London early today and filed an application before Nirmal police in Adilabad district through his counsel, seeking four days' time to appear before them on health grounds.

Owaisi looked fit to face questioning, IG (Warangal Range) A B Vekateshwar Rao told reporters, quoting Investigating Officer of Nirmal (Rural) police station A Raghu who visited Owaisi's residence here.

However, Owaisi complained of "internal pain" and hence the IO will subject him to medical examination by government doctors, he said.

Cops' colleagues in Delhi and Mumbai, it may be remembered, showed no such hesitation in cracking down on protesters in the Delhi gangrape case and in arresting 'Facebook girls' for posting innocuous 'anti-Bal Thackeray' missives that could not be considered, even remotely, to be related to any hate speech. The dichotomy in treating powerful politicians is blatant in Owaisi's case.

Owaisi, however, was eventually taken to a government hospital here today for medical examination.

A police escort team reached the MLA's house at Banjara Hills and took him to the Gandhi Hospital here, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) G Sudhir Babu said.

Earlier, this morning the Nirmal rural police at Adilabad district issued a notice to Akbaruddin to make himself present for the medical examination.

"In view of his medical examination police issued a notice to him to come to the Gandhi Hospital where government doctors will carry out his medical examination. Once the medical test is complete, a certificate will be issued and based on it further course of action will be taken," another senior police officer said.

... contd.

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