Four months after attack, Akbar booked for murder

HYDERABAD: More than four months after the attack on MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi by his rivals near Barkas in the Old City, police on Thursday registered a case against Akbaruddin and two others, charging them with murder and criminal conspiracy. This follows a high court direction after it was informed that no case had been filed so far against the MLAand his men though a member of the rival group was shot dead on the day of the attack.
While police had acted swiftly and arrested the key accused, Mohammed Bin Omar Yafai alias Mohammed Pahelwan, and 14 others after the April 30th attack on Akbaruddin, it did not register any case against the MIM MLA nor was any magisterial inquiry conducted into the firing.
Thursday’s FIR against Akbaruddin, MIM MLA Ahmed Balala and Chandrayangutta corporator Mansoor was registered on a complaint lodged by Awad Bin Younus Yafai, whose brother Ibrahim Yafai was shot dead. Ibrahim was gunned down by the personal gunman of Ahmed Balala.
When the high court was informed on August 24 that the police had not registered any case against Akbaruddin Owaisi, it directed the accused to lodge a complaint.
Awad Yafai, who filed the complaint with the Central Crime Station on Wednesday, alleged that it was Owaisi who had invited his relatives for discussion at a place in Chandrayangutta and started abusing them in filthy language. When his younger brother Ibrahim asked Owaisi to check his language, the MLA and his supporters attacked him. Awad and others tried to rescue Ibrahim who had already been shot at by a revolver. Later Awad and another of his relative were also shot at, he said in the complaint. The police who had then refused to take complaint against Owaisi, Balala and others registered the case now and issued an FIR. The three accused were booked under Sections 302 (murder), 148 (rioting, armed with weapons), 147 (rioting) and 120 B (criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.
Meanwhile, the high court granted bail to Mohammed Pahelwan, and five others.
The others who got bail include Eisa Yafai, Yahya Yafai, Fazal Yafai, Faisal Yafai and Hasan Yafai. All of them are expected to be released from prison by Friday evening once they complete the legal formalities in the lower court.
Earlier, the high court had granted bail to two other accused in the same case. The first to get bail was Younus Bin Omar Yafai, elder brother of Mohammed Pahelwan. On August 24 the court gave bail to Awad Yafai who was also injured by a gun shot fired by the personal security guard of MIM MLA Ahmed Balala during the attack on Owaisi.
According to police, a group of persons instigated by Mohammed Pahelwan attacked Owaisi with knives and revolver. Owaisi who received bullet and stab injuries is still reeling under the after-effects of the attack.