Team Clarion
MUMBAI — Motivational speaker Munawwar Zama was apprehended from a hotel in Mumbai by the Telangana Task Force, alongside two hotel owners from Maharashtra. The arrests are linked to the vandalism incident at a temple near the Secunderabad passport office, which reportedly occurred on the night of October 13-14. Zama and the others are being transferred to Hyderabad for further investigation.
The temple vandalism incident has stirred controversy, especially as Zama and several others were named as suspects in the case. The Telangana Task Force had been actively searching for Zama since the incident.
The media report indicates that Salman Thakur, the alleged main accused from Mumbai, was staying at a hotel in Maharashtra, where a seminar related to an English development programme was taking place. Thakur, along with others involved in organising the seminar, had rented multiple hotel rooms. The Telangana police had previously detained Thakur as part of their investigation into the temple incident.
Meanwhile, the leaders from the Telangana BJP have voiced their concerns about recent attacks on temples. On Monday, a delegation of BJP leaders met Telangana Governor Jishnu Dev Verma, seeking his intervention in addressing the matter. The delegation, which included MPs Eatala Rajendra, K. Vishweshwar Reddy, M. Raghunandan Rao, and Telangana Assembly BJP leader A. Maheshwar Reddy, submitted a memorandum urging the Governor to transfer the Muthyalamma temple vandalism case to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The BJP leaders also condemned the cases filed against Hindu organisation leaders and criticised the police’s use of force against protesters rallying in response to the incident.
The arrests of Munawwar Zama and others are expected to fuel further tensions, as the case has already attracted significant public attention. Authorities are continuing their investigation, and more details regarding the suspects’ alleged involvement are expected to come in the coming days.
