Riot-hit old Hyderabad calm, but tense

April 10, 2012

Riot
Hyderabad, April 10: An eerie calm prevails in the Old City. Curfew continued on Tuesday for the thirth day with reports of clashes from different areas on Monday.

Despite curfew in some areas, minor communal incidents, including a bid to burn down a garage at Umda Bazaar in Kamatipura, have been reported from different areas of the walled city on Monday.

Elsewhere, miscreants dumped body parts of animals at two places of worship.

Apart from curfew-bound areas of Madannapet and Saidabad , shops and business establishments remained shut throughout the Old City. Meanwhile, police have arrested seven persons for their role in Sunday's communal incidents and 25 cases of violence have been transferred to the Central Crime Station (CCS) on Monday.

Following the incident of miscreants throwing objectionable material at a place of worship in Narayanguda on Sunday night, two more such incidents have been reported in Kacheguda on Monday morning. Bang in front of a religious place on the Amberpet-Kacheguda road, miscreants threw animal parts in the wee hours of Monday. Alerted by its staff, police immediately reached the spot and removed the animal parts.

Later, representatives of another place of worship in Nimboliadda approached police alleging that they found flesh on their premises. "We have booked suo motu cases under sections 295-A (Maliciously insulting the religious sentiments of any religion) and 153-A (promoting enmity between classes) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," DCP, East Zone, Y Gangadhar said.

On Sunday night, East and South zone police rounded up 157 communal and history sheeters. The South Zone police have registered 15 cases in relation to the communal violence, while the East Zone booked 12 cases. The Chandrayangutta police have arrested Shaik Jaffar and Shaik Shareef for damaging an RTC bus, while the Saidabad police arrested five persons __ Syed Javeed, Imran Bin Omar, M A Nayeem Junaid, M Santosh and M Raju__ for bikeburning incidents at Idgah grounds and stone pelting in Zakir Hussain Colony.

Tension prevailed in Balapur following the death of a 40-year-old businessman on Monday night. The victim was identified as Shivaiah of Srinagar near Imamguda on the outskirts of the city. Police said Shivaiah, who owned brick kilns, died in a road mishap at the Weaker Sections' Colony near Balapur while he was on his way to Saidabad along with his cousin Sekhar on a bike. However, locals claim he was attacked by miscreants with a sword. Locals found Shivaiah dead on the road with critical injuries, while his cousin Sekhar suffered injuries at around 9.30 pm. Soon people started gathering in large numbers as locals suspected that it was a communal murder. Meanwhile, police rushed to the spot and, after talking to Sekhar, said that the death was due to a road accident."Sekhar told us that a heavy vehicle hit their bike and the pillion-rider died due to the resultant injuries. Sekhar himself suffered injuries and was shifted to hospital," DCP, Shamshabad, G Sudheer Babu said.However, BJP leader Badam Bal Reddy, who reached the spot, alleged that Shivaiah was attacked with a sword by miscreants. The body has been shifted to Osmania Hospital for a post-mortem. In view of the latest incident, security has been stepped up across the city.

On Monday, Hyderabad police commissioner A K Khan transferred the investigation of 25 communal violence cases to CCS sleuths. The Old City wore a deserted look as most people preferred to remain indoors. Business establishments remained closed, fearing a violent aftermath even as shopkeepers in Laad Bazaar were instructed by police to down their shutters. Charminar witnessed no tourism activity.

A bangle seller from Laad Bazaar, requesting anonymity said, "This isn't a matter of a day or two, but will continue for a week at least. There are more than 400 shops in the area and the loss in the neighbourhood alone will easily be in crores. Also, prices of essential commodities are rapidly climbing. The aam aadmi is suffering."Commuters were hit as buses went off arterial roads. APSRTC regional manager N V Rao said, "The Chandrayangutta-Afzalgunj via Charminar, Shah Ali Banda and Engine Bowli route was not operational today."

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 19,2026

New Delhi: Setting speculation to the rest, the CPI(M) has made it clear that it is open to have an electoral understanding with the Congress “to defeat” the Trinamool Congress and the BJP in West Bengal Assembly election even as it is all set to take on the grand old party in Kerala accusing it of “found wanting” in fighting the Hindutva forces.

The CPI(M) also said that it will contest the Tamil Nadu election “with DMK and its allies to defeat the BJP and its allies”, amid a section in the Congress triggering confusion about its participation in the M K Stalin-led coalition over demand over power-sharing and more seats. It is also willing to join hands with Congress and others in Assam and Puducherry to defeat the BJP.

The decisions came at a three-day meeting of the CPI(M) Central Committee in Thiruvananthapuram, which ended on Sunday after reviewing the poll preparations in the poll-bound states.

The CPI(M)'s decision came even as a section led by West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar is averse to tying up with the Left Front, claiming that their party is not benefitted by the electoral understanding. Both Congress and CPI(M)-led Left Front had electoral understanding in 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Congress and the Left Front fought together for the first time in 2016 when Congress won 44 seats and the CPI(M) got 26. In 2021, the Left Front and the Congress drew a blank. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Congress managed to win one seat while the Left did not win any. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, both fought against each other with Congress winning two and the Left none.

“In Bengal, the party will work for the defeat of both the TMC and the BJP, which are trying to polarise the society. We will try to rally all the forces that are ready to work against them,” the CPI(M) said in a statement without naming Congress by name. Senior leaders said there is no change in its strategy of pooling all non-BJP, non-TMC votes.

However, the party was critical of the Congress in Kerala where both will fight against each other.

The CPI(M) said it would "expose the BJP-led Union government’s denial of rightful dues to Kerala, the fiscal constraints imposed and the overall attack on federalism" as also "expose the failure of the Congress to effectively counter this attack on federalism, as the largest opposition party in the Parliament".

"The Congress, especially in Kerala, was found wanting in the fight against communal RSS-BJP, ideologically and this will also be exposed before the people," it added.

In Assam, it said, the CPI(M) will work for the mobilisation of all the anti-BJP parties and forces and defeat the rabidly communal and divisive BJP government. The Left parties are cooperating with Congress in the north-eastern state. In Puducherry, it said it will work for the defeat of the BJP alliance government.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 28,2026

ajit.jpg

Mumbai: The sudden death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in his hometown of Baramati has plunged the state into political uncertainty, raising a pressing question for both the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and its rival faction, the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar): what next?

For the two factions that emerged after the dramatic split of June–July 2023, the moment marks their gravest challenge yet. Many believe the answer now rests with party founder Sharad Pawar.

Sharad Pawar, who founded the NCP in 1999 after parting ways with the Congress over Sonia Gandhi’s foreign origin, has already indicated his intention to step away from electoral politics once his Rajya Sabha term ends in April 2026.

Speaking at a public event in Baramati ahead of his 85th birthday on December 12, 2025, Pawar said he would not contest any further elections. “I have contested 14 elections. The younger generation needs to be given an opportunity,” he said, adding that he would decide later whether to seek another Rajya Sabha term.

Often described as the Bhishma Pitamah of Indian politics, Pawar also spoke of his gradual withdrawal from active leadership. “For the first 30 years, I handled everything. For the next 25–30 years, Ajit Dada handled responsibilities. Now, arrangements must be made for new leadership,” he said.

Ajit Pawar’s death has dramatically altered that transition, especially as he was working towards reunifying the two NCP factions.

“After the developments of June–July 2023 and the 2024 Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections, there were deep changes within the family and the party. In the last six months, serious efforts were made to reunite. Even workers from both sides wanted unity. This is a massive blow,” a Pawar family insider told DH over phone from Baramati.

Electoral outcomes over the past year reflected the split. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, NCP (SP) recorded the best strike rate in Maharashtra, winning eight of the 10 seats it contested. The NCP, by contrast, won just one seat out of four.

However, the trend reversed in the subsequent Vidhan Sabha elections, where the NCP emerged stronger, securing 41 of the 288 seats, while NCP (SP) managed only 10.

Within NCP (SP), Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule serves as Working President, followed by leaders such as Rohit Pawar, state president Shashikant Shinde and former state chief Jayant Patil.

In the NCP, Praful Patel is the Working President and Raigad MP Sunil Tatkare heads the state unit. Ajit Pawar’s wife, Sunetra Pawar, is a Rajya Sabha MP, while their sons Parth and Jay are not actively involved in day-to-day politics. Parth Pawar briefly entered electoral politics in 2019 but lost the Lok Sabha election from Maval. Jay Pawar’s political debut was under consideration.

With Ajit Pawar gone, speculation has intensified that a member of the family may be asked to assume a larger role. For now, Sunetra Pawar is expected to play a key coordinating role in party affairs, alongside Patel and Tatkare.

The NCP continues to have several heavyweight leaders, including Chhagan Bhujbal, Hasan Mushrif, Dattatreya Bharne, Manikrao Kokate and Dhananjay Munde.

Ajit Pawar had already begun steps towards reconciliation between the two factions. While they contested the Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal elections separately, they later decided to fight the zilla parishad elections together under the ‘clock’ symbol—seen as the first formal step towards reunification.

Nagpur meet and party roadmap

Both NCP factions claim adherence to the ideology of ‘Shiv–Shahu–Phule–Ambedkar’. At the Rashtravadi Chintan Shivir held in Nagpur on September 19, 2025, the NCP reaffirmed its commitment to sarva dharma sambhav and discussed strengthening ties with the BJP “for the welfare and development of Maharashtra”.

In recent days, reports had suggested Ajit Pawar might return to the Maha Vikas Aghadi following the party’s poor performance in Pune municipal elections, but these claims were denied.

Big question for Maha Yuti

Ajit Pawar’s death also presents an immediate challenge for the Devendra Fadnavis-led Maha Yuti government. Pawar held crucial portfolios, including Finance, Planning and Excise. With the Budget Session approaching, appointing a new Finance Minister has become urgent.

Beyond numbers and portfolios, Maha Yuti has lost a swift decision-maker known for his administrative grip and political finesse—leaving a vacuum that will not be easy to fill.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.