Hyderabad: Villagers of Pratap Singaram, Medchal, caught a Muslim man suffering from a mental illness after he was found loitering inside an Ayappa Swamy Temple on Wednesday, February 25.
A video emerged on social media platforms showing the man, in a red shirt and injured, pinned to the ground, surrounded by villagers. When questioned about his whereabouts, he only repeats them.
One villager suggests handing him over to the police. “Why are you hitting him? We should hand him over to the police. They will take care,” one villager is heard saying.
On information, Medipally police, under whose jurisdiction the village falls, reached the spot and took the person into custody. A case was registered under sections 298 (injuring or defiling a place of worship or any sacred object with the intent to insult a religion), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or beliefs), 196 (promoting enemity between different groups on grounds of religion, race etc), 301 (trespassing), 302 (deliberately wounding the religious feelings of any person) and 333 (house-trespass) of the Bharatiya Nayaya Sanhita (BNS) was registered.
Speaking to Siasat.com, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Medipally said the man was unable to communicate properly. “He had come to attend nature’s call. Later, locals found him moving suspiciously near a small Anjaneya temple, located inside the main Ayappa Swamy Temple. We took him into custody as soon as we received the information,” the ACP said.
When asked for details about the man, the officer said, “During questioning, he kept repeating two words – Zubair, Bihar.”
“We referred him to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, where doctors examined him and said he was suffering from mental illness,” he said.
On Thursday, February 26, “Zubair” was produced before the court, which, after reviewing the medical report, directed the police to shift him to the Erragadda Mental Health Hospital.
He was offering namaz, claims BJYM
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) alleged that “Zubair” was offering namaz on top of a shed inside the temple.
In a video shared on social media platforms, a BJYM member said, “We do not know if he was there to steal something. We immediately caught him and handed him over to the police.”
The member claimed similar incidents in the past and have only risen since the Congress government came to power. “Police are also not taking any action apart from registering cases,” he said.
“Hindus are not secure in Telangana. Our women are being lured by the members of the minority community and the Rohingyas,” he said, calling for immediate strict actions.
