Owaisi sent to 14-day-jail for hate speech

IPC 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 124A (sedition) were among five sections slapped afresh

MIM legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi was today sent to jail for 14 days; a day after he was arrested on sedition, criminal conspiracy and other charges for making a "hate speech" last month.

42-year-old Owaisi, who flew in from London on Monday, spent the night at the Nirmal town police station, about 200 km from Hydrabad, and was produced at 5.30am before the magistrate. Owaisi will remian in jail till January 22.

An MLA from Chandrayangutta; Owaisi, younger brother of Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi, was taken to Adilabad district jail, about 80 kms from Hyderabad, police said.

Owaisi has sought a direction from the court to shift him to Hyderabad.

On January 3, Nirmal town police suo moto booked a case against Owaisi under IPC Sections 121 (waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the government of India) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, language etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony).

Fresh charges under sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), 124A (sedition), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and section 505 of IPC (punishment for spreading false and mischievous statements), were added.

Karimnagar Range Deputy Inspector General (DIG) R Bhimanayak said police sought Owaisi in a seven-day custody for questioning.

FIRs were registered suo moto in Adilabad and Nizamabad districts while the Osmania University police in Hyderabad booked him following a court directive.

MIM calls Bandh

There was tension in Adilabad and Nizamabad districts where a bandh was called by MIM protesting Owaisi's arrest even as most of the shops and business establishments in most parts of the old city remained closed.