MIM, a key political force in Hyderabad, said it was basically for continuing the present status of Andhra Pradesh with constitutional guarantees to Telangana.

“However, if the division becomes inevitable, Greater Telangana state should be formed with Hyderabad as the capital,” the party said.

The party has expressed its views on the issue in a memorandum submitted to the Srikrishna committee, which is looking into the demands for and against a separate Telangana state.

MIM, which had suggested union territory status to Hyderabad a couple of years ago, now opposed the demand coming from some leaders of Andhra, Rayalaseema and even Hyderabad.

The party told the five-member panel formed by the central government that Hyderabad is an integral part of Telangana and its resources could be utilised for Telangana state or Greater Telangana state in the event of Andhra Pradesh’s bifurcation.

MIM president and MP from Hyderabad, Asaduddin Owaisi pointed out that Hyderabad had been a part of Telangana for centuries and they can never be separated.

MIM wants merger of Rayalaseema with Telangana to form Greater Telangana state on the ground that both are backward regions. The demand is significant in view of the party’s presence in some Muslim-majority parts of Rayalaseema. Some Congress leaders from Rayalaseema had already mooted a similar proposal.

Telangana comprises 10 districts, including Hyderabad, while Rayalaseema bordering Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has four districts. Coastal Andhra, the third region, comprises nine districts.

MIM has also demanded special measures to protect the interests of Muslims in the event of Andhra Pradesh’s division. It also wanted status of second official language to Urdu in both the proposed states.

The party, which has one Lok Sabha member and seven state legislators from Hyderabad, also sought protection of non-Telangana people living in Hyderabad.

MIM had remained silent ever since the Telangana movement picked up momentum late last year. It did not voice its opinion even after Home Minister P. Chidambaram announced in December that the process for formation of Telangana state would be initiated.

The party, however, took part in an all-party meeting called by Chidambaram to discuss the issue on Jan 5 after his announcement evoked sharp reaction in the two other regions.

In February, a committee headed by Justice Srikrishna was formed to look into the Telangana issue. The committee, which has so far received over 60,000 representations from all three regions of the state, is currently holding consultations with political parties.

The commissioner of police, Mr A.K. Khan, announced that curfew would be relaxed for three hours in the riot hit areas on April 4 (Sunday).

“We have decided to relax curfew during daytime from Monday but haven’t decided on the timing,” he said. “It would be for seven to eight hours,”

Police said the relaxation was meant to ensure smooth conduct of business in the areas and to restore normalcy.

“On Saturday, people thronged the streets when curfew was relaxed and it was peaceful,” said a senior police officer. “There is better availability of commodities thanks to government supervision as well as the efforts of NGOs and philanthropic individuals.”

At least 70 organisations have approached police to help out and they have been deputed to interior areas where poor people live.

All fair price shops and shops which sell essential commodities and medicines would remain open during curfew relaxation.

On April 4, curfew will be relaxed between 7 am and 10 am in Tappachabutra, Asifnagar, Mangalhat, Kulsumpura, Shahina-yathgunj, Habeebnagar, Begumbazar and Afzalgunj police station limits.

From 10 am to 1 pm, curfew would be relaxed in Charminar, Hussainialam, Kamatipura, Bahadhurpura, Kalapathar, Falaknuma, Chatrinaka, Shahalibanda, Moghalpura, Bhavaninagar, Dabeerpura, Mirchowk, Reinbazar, Madannapet, Santhoshnagar, Kanchanbagh and Chandrayangutta police station limits.

Meanwhile, police arrested six persons who pelted stones and injured the DCP (traffic II), Mr C. Ravi Varma, on March 30.

No untoward incident was reported during the two-hour break from curfew.
Residents, however, said that two hours were not enough keeping in mind the long queues at vegetable, medical and general stores.

There was a mad rush at the markets and even the ATMs were soon empty.
The police had to resort to mild lathi charges at some places where the curfew deadline had expired. Many residents could not buy enough stocks as a large number of them were yet to receive salaries as it was the first day of the month.

Traders made a killing as they jacked up the prices of essential commodities des-pite claims by the government of monitoring the same. In some areas a litre of milk was sold for Rs 100 and three-day-old vegetables for Rs 50- a- kilo. Eggs were priced at Rs 50 per dozen, bananas Rs 50 per dozen, grapes at Rs 60 per kg. Even medicines were
being sold for thrice their market price. The home minister, Ms P. Sabita Indra Reddy, said that the police had booked four traders for selling essential commodities in black.
In the morning, confusion reigned high as some residents of Mirchowk and Falaknuma came out from their houses at 8 am, though, curfew relaxation in these areas was from 11 am.

Curfew was relaxed from 8 am to 10 am in nine police station limits and from 11
am to 1 pm in eight police station limits. The police commissioner, Mr A. K. Khan, said there would be no relaxation in the eight police station areas of the new city where curfew had been imposed on Tuesday night after clashes.

The decision to enforce curfew was taken by the police after a person was stabbed to death by miscreants near Shah Ali Banda on Monday afternoon.

Police said curfew would be enforced in all the 17 police station limits of South Zone of the city police commissionerate.

Tension continued to grip the communally sensitive areas of the city with mobs indulging in unabated stone hurling in different parts, even as the beleaguered police force is finding it difficult to contain the communal clashes that began on Saturday night.

Police used tear gas shells and stun grenades after repeated lathicharges, but did not have the desired impact. Heavy police contingents including the CRPF and RAF have been deployed in the old city but attacks on religious places and people at random continued.

Frenzied mobs raising full throated slogans were engaging the police forces in a hide and seek game in the labyrinthine lanes and bylanes of the old city.

Alarmed over the developing situation Home Minister P. Sabitha Indra Reddy toured the area and assured the residents that peace would be restored in the areas. The DGP R.R. Girish Kumar too visited the troubled areas, while the Commissioner of Police A.K. Khan is camping in the old city overseeing the security arrangements.

Chief Minister K. Rosaiah convened a meeting of senior police officers to take stock of the situation and the Home Minister Ms. Reddy met the city legislators and sought cooperation in restoring normalcy.

However, trouble broke out in the old city again hours after the Home Minister left the area.

Heavy stone hurling was reported at Lal Darwaza, a locality having mixed population of Hindus and Muslims. Groups of people wielding sticks and stones positioned themselves in their respective ‘strongholds’ and indulged in what is being described as the ’heaviest’ stone pelting so far. Police moved in to disperse the crowds, but the mobs had just melted into the bylanes only to resurface as the police teams retreated.

Trouble began in the old city on Saturday night when two groups belonging to different communities clashed over a dispute on hoisting religious flags in Moosa Bowli locality. Violence spread to different areas instantly. The skirmishes continued on Sunday too with innocent people being marked and attacked at different places simultaneously, as rumour mongers had a field day using short messages to spread unfounded reports of religious places being attacked.

By Sunday night, normalcy appeared to have returned, but clashes broke out again on Monday morning.