The Hindu : National : Protest against Bush visit turns violent

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Saturday, Mar 04, 2006

National

National

Protest against Bush visit turns violent

Staff Reporter

— Photo: AP

VENTING THEIR IRE: Protesters hurl stones at police personnel outside the Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad on Friday.

HYDERABAD: Protest against the visit of US President George W. Bush triggered tension in parts of the old city on Friday as mobs pelted stones injuring two policemen soon after noon prayers at Mecca Masjid.

Trouble broke out when a group of youngsters rushed out of the mosque raising slogans. As huge contingents of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) took position blocking the road on the Charminar side with barbed wire, the protesters ran towards Charminar bus stop.

After staging a sit-in and raising slogans for two minutes in front of the mosque, some persons began hurling `chappals' on seeing lathi-wielding policemen surging towards them. Even as peace committee members and activists of the Confederation of Voluntary Associations (COVA) tried to pacify both the demonstrators and the police, stones began to fly from the mosque side targeting the police.

Cameraman assaulted

Tempers ran high as RAF men ran till the masjid compound wall and some of them picked up the stones and threw back at the unruly mob. The furious crowd assaulted a cameraman of a cable network television channel and broke his video camera when he tried to shoot them from a close range.

They also snatched a hand-held mike of an RSI Syed Ahmed when he was appealing to them to disperse peacefully and broke it. Inspector Iqbal Siddiqui of the Task Force sustained a bleeding injury on his head after a stone hit him. Things seemed to be going out of hands as police officials rushed huge forces towards Charminar bus stop, but the crowd retreated.

Just when everyone started heaving a sigh of relief, there was tension again with some youngsters raising objection over TV channel cameramen aiming cameras at them. As police rushed in to control, a few of them resorted to stone pelting again. However, things returned to normal within minutes.

While the police took over the entire old city by deploying gun-toting men at every nook and corner, life came to a standstill as most business establishments closed in response to a bandh call given by the Unite Muslim Organisation, a union of different parties and associations, in protest against Mr. Bush's visit.

Activists of the Darsgah-Jehad-O-Shahadat released black balloons into the air at Saidabad, some burnt effigies of Mr. Bush at Mirchowk and a few others trampled American flags near Aitebar Chowk to mark their protest. Another crowd pelted stones on roadside shops at Mallepally but none was injured.

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