All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen President Asaduddin Owaisi was denied permission to hold a rally in the city’s “communally sensitive” Bhavani Peth locality on Tuesday by the Pune Police. The rally was scheduled by the party’s city unit to promote an applicant ahead of the February 21 Pune Municipal Corporation polls, according to a report.
As per the Bhavani Peth Police, Owaisi had a “reputation for making speeches that are inflammatory and socially divisive in content”, reported The Hindu. They also said that the rally was planned for an area not suitable for holding public addresses. So, they refused to give him permission as there was a threat to his life.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Sudhir Hiremath asked the party to “give alternative spots [for the rally], which will be considered for permission”. However, AIMIM leader Anjum Inamdar said they challenge the police decision.
“This prohibition order by the Bhavani Peth Police and their remarks against Owaisi, in particular, are highly objectionable,” Inamdar said. “Candidates from other political parties have been campaigning for aspirants in this area without restraint.”
The AIMIM has associated with groups such as the People’s Republic Party, the Bahujan Republican Socialist Party, and the Republican Yuva Morcha to fight the elections against the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Nationalist Congress Party in the state.
