Hundreds of residents of Tipu Nagar gathered in the containment area on Sunday morning to protest the alleged high-handedness of the police during an interaction with a local councillor the previous night. The situation was a cause for concern in the light of violent protests at the neighbouring Padarayanapura ward, which is also a containment zone.
Nazima Khanam, councillor, K.R. Market ward and a resident of Tipu Nagar, said she had gone out of the area to visit a family doctor at around 9 p.m. on Saturday after taking permission from the police. “However, as I returned nearly an hour later, a policeman in civil clothes, who claimed to be an inspector, verbally abused me even though I showed my ID card and informed him that I was the local councillor. I told him I had taken prior permission. The situation was soon diffused as other policemen intervened,” she said.
The Chamarajapet police have registered two cases against Nazima Khanam for violating curfew and obstructing police on duty. “The councillor and her associates were moving in Tipu Nagar at 10 p.m. on Saturday while the curfew was in place. When we stopped to question her, she objected and asked how we could question her. Heated arguments led to a tense situation following which we seized her ID card and vehicle,” a police officer said.
The incident triggered protests on Sunday morning, and social distancing rules were ignored as protesters demanded answers from the police. The councillor’s husband Ayub Khan, who also leads the local masjid committee, led the protests.
“If this is how the police treat an elected representative, then what is the security for common citizens?,” he asked.
Additional police personnel were deployed in the area to monitor the law and order situation. Senior police officers also visited the area and pacified the crowd asking them to abide by the rules.