Hyderabad: Miles away in Jammu and Kashmir, security forces have reported a decline in incidents of stone-pelting, and here in Hyderabad too, the police are reporting a similar toning down of such incidents.
Cases of mob violence and stone-pelting have come down with no cases being reported in the sensitive areas of the Old City this year. Though not on par with the “troubled” state of Jammu and Kashmir, the older parts of the city are perceived as troubled areas and violent reactions to not only localised but also global developments are common here.
“No incident of stone pelting was reported this year for the first time in two decades. Last year there were a couple of stone-pelting incidents in the Old City, during the civic elections, and another when a group of persons took out a protest rally following blasphemous pictures on social media. Similar pictures emerged on social media this year too but people reacted in a sober manner and lodged complaints with us,” said DCP (south), V. Satyanarayana.
Former DGP Anurag Sharma in his farewell address recently had mentioned the reforming face of the Old City and acknowledged the change in the mindset of the people. In fact, this year there was no trouble in and around the Charminar.
“Where is the time? Leave alone participating or gathering, people are not visiting places or areas or processions where they expect trouble. Literacy rates have increased and all want to stay happily,” says K. Babu Rao, deputy commissioner of police.
S. Q. Masood, a social activist, says, “People just want to live peacefully and prosper. But some vested interests instigated them and there were instances of trouble. Now, though there are disturbances globally, the people here have not reacted and have exercised restraint even when provoked,” he said.
A senior officer who worked with the Commis-sioner’s Task Force said that the police deployed forces anticipating trouble on communally sensitive days.
“We generally go by past experiences and do bandobast. But there is a visible change in the public and no one wants trouble. It is a good sign,” he said.
He recalled that there was a time when the police faced a barrage of stones for days together. “Stone guards on vehicles and helmets were a must. It is altogether a different scene now,” the official said.
