Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 17 : Hyderabad Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh has written a letter to Hyderabad Police Commissioner, V C Sajjanar, refusing police protection for the upcoming Ram Navami procession on March 27, alleging repeated harassment, lathi charge and use of force by task force personnel during the previous year's celebration.
In his letter, Singh stated that over the past three years, police deployed in the name of protection had instead disrupted the procession, at times resorting to lathi charges against devotees. He cited incidents reported near Anita Towers, Purana Pul, Begum Bazar Chatri and Siddiamber Bazar Mosque, which he said caused fear and distress among participants.
"Over the past three years, under the name of police protection, incidents have occurred where lathi charges by Hyderabad police Task Force were carried out on Ram devotees during the Ram Navami procession," Singh wrote. He further alleged that Task Force personnel had "attempted to create disturbances" during the shobha yatra.
The MLA also objected to the conduct of certain police personnel, claiming that those "who do not wear tilak on their forehead create nuisance and spoil the atmosphere of the shobha yatra, making devotees fearful," and requested that such personnel not be deployed for this year's Shobha Yatra.
Emphasising that devotees make elaborate arrangements along the route, including stages and sound systems, Singh urged the police not to interfere. He warned that he would "personally react" if these arrangements were disturbed, adding, "We do not require such protection that results in harm to our own devotees.
Singh also questioned the role of the police, stating that despite being funded by taxpayers' money, their actions appeared to be against them. The procession is scheduled to proceed from Akash Puri Hanuman Temple to Hanuman Vyayamshala in Sultan Bazar on March 17.
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