'Azaan, siren banned': says Rachakonda police; deletes tweet after backlash

Hyderabad: Rachakonda police sparked a controversy early on Saturday, after they posted on their official Twitter account that Azaan and siren are not allowed, in a reply to a Twitter user.

Immediately after, Twitter was flooded with questions from netizens on the controversial remark, with many of them tagging the Chief Minister, Deputy General of Police, Telangana, Minister KT Rama Rao, Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and several prominent persons from the community.

Some had even called up Rachakonda police commissioner Mahesh Bhagwat directly over phone and took up the issue with him. Syed Abdahu Kashaf, a netizen tweeted, “I spoke to Commissioner of police. He never instructed any officer to stop the siren or Azaan. There was a problem of miscommunication. Hereby if anyone faces any issues regarding Azaan and siren, please let me know."

Taken aback by the backlash on social media and across various platforms, Rachakonda police later pulled down the tweet.

Further, they posted on their Twitter handle, “This is wrong reply by social media cell. We are taking action on concerned. Local pracitices r going on accordingly, local police r conducting meetings with all concerned, ensuring smooth conduct of religious practices following social distancing & guidelines issued by Govt to prevent COVID.(sic)”

This is not the first time Telangana police has landed themselves in controversies surrounding religion. Earlier in January, Cyberabad police was caught in a similar controversy while replying to a communally insensitive tweet by a netizen named Suresh Kochattil, from their official Twitter handle. Suresh Kochattil tweeted - “Many wannabe Jihadis work for American Software companies in Hyderabad? After #Iran threatened to hit US assets, has @hydcitypolice @cyberabadpolice @RachakondaCop done background check/risk assessment of these Peacefuls? Or cops are clueless? @KTRTRS @TelanganaDGP @USCGHyderabad.”

The reply from Cyberabad police stirred a controversy, with even Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi taking a dig at Cyberabad police and Commissioner VC Sajjanar. With severe criticism from across, the tweet was pulled down, and a clarification was also issued.

Days later, Asifnagar police in Hyderabad landed in trouble, after they tweeted congratulating BJP MP Arvind Dharmapuri for the party’s victory in the municipal polls. However, this tweet was also pulled down later.