Communal Riots in Hyderabad Incited by Real Estate Mafia: Fact-finding Panel

A fact-finding team looking into the reasons of Hyderabad communal riots in March has concluded that the violence began as a tiff between two communities but was turned into a full-scale riot by the real estate mafia to grab prime real estate, said media reports.

The team, comprising of members of five city-based organizations, said that attacks on religious places, houses and shops were pre-planned in order to scare residents away so their properties could be taken over, reports said..

The committee found that the real estate mafia attacked and demolished religious places between March 23 and 27, said reports.

“What started off as a tiff between the two communities over celebration of festivals was turned into a full-scale riot by real estate mafia,” Lateef Mohammed Khan, Secretary of Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee (CLMC), was quoted as saying.

“For the first time in the history of Hyderabad a number of religious places have been attacked and demolished and the real estate mafia is behind this.

“There is evidence that the mobs who carried out these attacks did not belong to Hyderabad, their language and appearance was also different. Even the stones that were used to pelt at religious places and houses were brought from outside,” he was quoted as saying.

Other four organizations, members of which are part of the team include Kula Nirmoolana Porata Samiti, Patriotic Democratic Movement, Chaitanya Samaikhya and Viplava Rachayitula Sangam.

The committee visited all the affected areas.

“At least 36 mosques and 3 temples were attacked and property including houses, shops, and hotels were burnt or damaged,” Khan was quoted as saying.

(Based on internet reports)