Telangana's Asifabad saw communal tension flare up on Wednesday as protests against alleged sexual assault of a woman, who belongs to the ST Gondu caste of Devuguda village, intensified. An auto-rickshaw driver, Sheikh Makhdhoom, had allegedly attempted to sexually assault the 45-year-old woman on August 31.
The driver had then beat the woman with a stick when she raised an alarm. The driver intended to kill the woman and left her on the side of the road when she fell unconscious.
On September 1, the woman's younger brother filed a complaint in Sirpur U Police Station against the accused. A case was registered under the SC/ST act for attempted rape, and murder.
DSP Sadayya Panthati took up the investigation of the case, and nabbed the accused driver on Tuesday.
Communal tension erupted in Jainoor town of Asifabad district in Telangana, where agitated mob attacked and torched commercial establishments.
According to Telangana Today, a mob of aorund 5,000 people gathered in Jainoor as part of a bandh call given by various tribal organisations condemning the crime. They set the commercial establishments on fire, pelted stones on religious structures.
The tribal rights organisations also staged a rasta-roko in Jainoor on Tuesday demanding capital punishment for the accused.
AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi raised an alarm over the communal tensions, and wrote to Telangana DGP over the chaotic situation. He appealed for peace and said nobody should be allowed to take the law into their own hands.
“I have spoken to @TelanganaDGP regarding incidents of communal disturbances in Jainoor, Asifabad District, the @TelanganaDGP assured me that it is being monitored &additional forces are being send and action will be taken against people who take law in their hands,’ he said in a post on X.
BJP also slammed the Revanth Reddy-led Congress government in Telangana. Taking to X (formerly twitter), they said, “As the perpetrator belongs to a minority community, the Revanth Sarkar has the upper hand.”
“Komaram Bhim is atrocious in Jainur, Asifabad district. Sheikh Makhdhoom was the rapist who raped a tribal girl. He tried to kill her for fear of filing a case. An attempt to turn the rape case into an accident. This is the relatives of the criminal who attacked the tribals protesting for justice. Politics of sympathy for minorities. Evidence of shameless Congress rule,” Telangana BJP said in a post on X.
