Hate speech: Owaisi in 5-day police custody

An Andhra Pradesh court granted the police five-day custody of hate speech accused MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi on Friday. HT reports.

An Andhra Pradesh court granted the police five-day custody of hate speech accused MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi on Friday.

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The police had sought the Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader's custody for a week. The magistrate's court in Nirmal town of Adilabad district ruled the police could question him from Saturday.

More legal tangles emerged for Owaisi after a Hyderabad court directed the police to iprobe another allegedly inflammatory speech he had made in Nanded (Maharashtra) last year. A court in Anantapur district admitted a plea by BJP activists seeking action against him.

The 42-year-old MLA of Chandrayangutta in Hyderabad is lodged in Adilabad district jail facing charges including sedition and promoting enmity between different groups.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in the old city of Hyderabad after MIM supporters threw stones at the police, protesting Owaisi's arrest. At least five policemen and some mediapersons were injured in the violence.