MIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi sent to jail till Feb 2 in 2005 rioting case

A court in Medak Monday sent All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief Asaduddin Owaisi to jail till February 2 after he surrendered in a 2005 case, involving allegations of obstructing a public servant from discharging his duties, promoting enmity between religious groups and rioting.

The Hyderabad MP's petition for bail will be heard Tuesday. His younger brother Akbaruddin, already under arrest over an alleged hate speech, is also an accused in this case.

The news that Asaduddin had been sent to custody raised tension in Hyderabad. MIM supporters pelted stones and damaged window panes and glass facades of a number of shops and shut down Charminar and some other parts of the city.

The Owaisi brothers and their supporters are accused of confronting and abusing then Medak collector Anil Singhal on April 16, 2005, after a place of worship was damaged during widening of the Hyderabad-Mumbai national highway, and for giving incendiary speeches that led to riots. Asaduddin is the main accused in the case.

The Owaisi brothers had first surrendered in the case in May 2009 and were granted bail. They, however, failed to appear for subsequent hearings so the court had recently issued a non-bailable warrant against them, Medak SP Vijay Kumar said.

Soon after Akbaruddin was arrested for allegedly making hate speeches in the last week of December, the Medak police had sought his custody in the 2005 case and, subsequently, produced him in court on January 17. The court posted the matter for January 28.

On Monday, Asaduddin petitioned the court to cancel the non-bailable warrant against him but his plea was turned down.

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