Hyderabad: Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan was arrested on Sunday from Mallepally in the city on the charges of section 151 of the IPC, for wilfully and knowingly joining an assembly of five or more persons after it has been commanded to disperse.
However, two hours after he was arrested, he was not shifted to any police station. The police jeep which carried Mr Azad roamed on the roads for more than two-and-a-half hours. In the end, he was shifted to Bollaram.
Mr Azad had arrived in the city to attend two different programmes agai-nst the CAA but city police foiled both the protests.
Mr Azad, whose health was not well, was taking rest in an apartment at Mallepaly after a health check-up. P. Shiva Chan-dra, SHO, Habeebnagar, barged into flat and informed that he would arrest him and asked to cooperate. Supreme Court lawyer Mahmood Para-cha, who was with the Bhim Army chief, infor-med the police that Mr Azad’s health was not well and he was taking rest.
When asked the reason for arresting him, police said they had information that Mr Azad was contemplating taking out a rally. Mr Azad interacted with vernacular journalists Za-heeruddin Ali and Moha-mmed Mubashiruddin Kh-urram and organisers of a flash protest, on the pro-test scenario in the state.
Mr Ravan accused the Hyderabad police of manhandling female students of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS). He demanded that “police must issue a statement of clarification” and threatened to conduct a gherao.
Earlier, the police which denied permission for holding a protest meeting at Crystal gardens in Mehdipatnam, also did not allow people to gather there.
Police arrested about 24, including three girls, and shifted them to the Gosha Mahal police stadium. They were not released till 9 pm. The All-India Dalit-Muslim-Adivasi Progressive Front and the Bhim Army had jointly given a call for a protest at Crystal gardens.
