Citizens Appeal for Communal Harmony in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: Concerned citizens in the twin cities on Wednesday condemned communal vandalism and demanded action against the culprits. They lamented that their conviction that Hyderabad left communal violence behind since 2012 had proved wrong.

Expressing concern over the four incidents in Rakshapuram, Nampally, Muthyalamma temple and Yakutpura, they said these acts are deliberate and instigated by individuals to vitiate the atmosphere in large parts of the city as they can become flashpoints thanks to social media.

They called on the government to take exemplary action against those indulging in vandalism or hate mongering. It should not allow mobs to take law into their own hands. Action should be taken against all those engaged in mob violence. They said fast track courts be set up to punish the guilty in a time-bound manner and police should immediately arrest the accused, showing no bias or favour.

They called on political parties to unequivocally condemn all acts of communal hatred and prevail upon the government to prevent their recurrence. They also urged the media to act responsibly and not allow spread of false propaganda or inciting statements.

They also called on fellow-citizens to realise that communal incidents are always created with vested interest for political and economic gains but it is the common people, especially the poor, who pay the price due to the ensuing riots.

The signatories who made the appeal included Prof. Shanta Sinha, Prof. Rama Melkote, Prof. Padmaja Shaw, Dr Mazher Hussain, COVA, Sandhya V. POW, Sajaya K., Prof. T. Vijay Kumar, Prof. Ayesha Faruqui, Kirankumar Vissa, Rythu Swarajya Vedika, and Meera Sangamitra, among others.