Cops on the scene warned not to intervene?

HYDERABAD: Did the local police fail to prevent or even to make an attempt to resist the attack on MIM legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi by his rivals at Barkas on Saturday?

Going by the initial inquiry, four policemen were present at the spot when the attack took place but it was Malakpet MLA Ahmed Balala's gunman who went to the rescue of Owaisi at the crucial time. According to sources, a sub-inspector and three constables were present at the spot when main suspect Mohammed Pahelwan's men launched a sudden attack on Akbaruddin.

'It all happened in a matter of minutes and there was utter confusion and chaos. It was only the timely reaction of Balala's gunman that Akbaruddin escaped with injuries,'' a police officer said.

The attackers, numbering more than 10, created a terror when they targeted Akbaruddin. 'So brutal was the attack that associates of the injured legislator fled the place to save themselves,' the official said.

The SI and three policemen were reportedly threatened by the assailants not to intervene and they were left with no option but to remain mute spectators to the attack, sources said. Being a personal security officer (PSO) trained to guard VIPs during the time of unexpected attacks, Balala's gunman showed the presence of mind and reacted swiftly, the sources said. Only one of the police personnel on bandobust, the SI, was carrying a service weapon.

For the local police controlling the pahelwans of the Old City always was a tougher task. 'Only sleuths of the Task Force can handle them. Leave alone pahelwans, even petty local leaders are not afraid of the local police as they have political connections,' the sources said.

Moreover, the Owaisi brothers never accepted police security and always moved freely in the Old City. They do not inform the police of their movements in their constituencies for bandobust but rely on their supporters for their security. As it was a government programme, the local police made bandobust on Saturday.

'No one was expecting an attack and Owaisi brothers are relatively safe in the Old City and that too in their stronghold like Chandrayangutta and Barkas. Otherwise, the police bandobust would have been made on a larger scale,' the official added.

Meanwhile, the sources said Chandrayangutta police inspector P Venkatagiri was rapped for his failure to reach the spot immediately. He was transferred and attached to the South Zone Control Room, it is learnt.