Shrine demolition sparks riot in city

HYDERABAD: Taking up the government''s order to move shrines from the middle of roads, the Medak district tried to demolish a mosque near Patancheru to make way for a wider road but it almost set off a riot on Saturday. Traffic on the Mumbai highway was paralysed for 10 hours as a huge crowd blocked the road.
The crew began work around 9 am, first bringing down the boundary wall and then a part of the main structure.As news spread, people from the BHEL township massed at the spot and rained stones on the workers, who fled.
The mob then blocked the highway demanding that the chief minister visit the spot and explain why the demolition was ordered. The crowd swelled as the hours passed, with people being trucked in to join the riot. Now very nervous, police stationed half a dozen of their vehicles at Toli Chowki and BHEL to stop these trucks.
A large number of MIM leaders, including MP Asaduddin Owaisi and MLAs Akbaruddin Owaisi, joined the action, followed by minorities welfare minister Mohammed Fareeduddin and several Congress leaders.
The latter variety of leaders tried to play peacemaker but received a hail of stones.
Past 7 pm, the protesters were still hunkered down on the arterial road. As the situation went out of control, Medak collector A K Singal arrived and promised to rebuild the damaged portion of the mosque. Thus reassured, the mob dispersed. The Owaisi brothers and their retinue stayed put till the wall was restored. The damaged shrine will be rebuilt on Sunday.