Hyderabad police arrest ‘sar tan se juda’ sloganeer Kashaf under Preventive Detention Act

The Hyderabad Police have arrested Syed Abdahu Quadri alias Kashaf, a self-proclaimed rights activist, for creating hatred between Hindus and Muslims with “Sar tan se juda” slogans and other provocative protests on religious lines.

Kashaf (27) was held on Tuesday and sent to remand directly in Chanchalguda jail by invoking the stringent Preventive Detention Act.

Kashaf incited a mob of Muslim youth last week and gave the odious “sar tan se juda” (beheading) slogans stating it as punishment for suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh. The AIMIM said the “person has nothing to do with its party and its activities.”

Singh allegedly made some inflammatory comments in a video on the lines of remarks made by suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma with reference to Prophet Mohammed. The firebrand legislator said his satirical video was in retaliation to controversial comic Munawar Faruqui's show in Hyderabad.

Singh was arrested under the same PD act last week by the Hyderabad cops and is lodged in Cherlapally jail.

Kashaf's hateful slogans alerted the cops, and alarmed the public as they came in the backdrop of the brutal beheading of a tailor Kanhaiya Lal by two radicals Riyaz Akhtari and Ghouse Mohammed in June in Udaipur. Lal was reportedly killed for a social media post in support of Sharma.

“Kashaf has been habitually posting provocative and inflammatory messages, videos in social media through his Twitter account with an intention to promote enmity between Hindus and Muslims and cause breach of communal peace,” the police said.

On August 22, Kashaf along with others staged a protest in front of the Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand's office against the offensive video by Singh. Hundreds of Muslim youth descended at the spot. Kashaf then instigated the protestors to raise inflammatory slogans including the “Naare Takbeer Allah Hu Akbar – Gustak-e-Rasool ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda” (beheading is the only punishment for a person who disrespects the Prophet).

He was subsequently arrested for his slogans, but later released on a personal bond after being produced before a magistrate.

Kashaf created hatred and ill-will between the Hindu and Muslims, thereby adversely affecting the maintenance of public order in the city. The protest video and slogans went viral and created disturbance throughout the country, police said.

Kashaf's inciting slogans caught the attention of gullible Muslim youth which led to widespread protests with violent incidents in reported in Moghalpura, Shahinayathgunj, Bhavaninagar and Hussainialam Police Station areas where rioters damaged a police vehicle, pelted stones on a police station, attacked a hotel vendor and a private cab driver.

Sensing danger to life and properties, people got panicky and closed their shops and establishments. The entire population of Hyderabad, Telangana went into a grip of fear and shock because of Kashaf's act, the police said in a statement on Tuesday.

Stating that Kashaf has been continuously causing widespread fear, unrest and panic among the general public and acting in a manner prejudicial to maintenance of public order apart from disturbing the peace, tranquility and communal harmony in the society, the Hyderabad cyber crime police on the direction of commissioner Anand executed the PD order.

Kashaf is involved in four offenses under the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate, three relating to creating hatred between Muslims and Hindus.

In 2020, the accused uploaded a video instigating people to stage a Million march dharna at Indira Park in protest against the CAA and NRC.

In 2022, Kashaf uploaded a video on his twitter account instigating people to stage dharna at the CMs camp office in protest against alleged demolition of Qutubshahi Masjid at Shameerpet.

In 2016, the offender was involved in an attack on Congress leader Mohammed Ali Shabbir, a MLC then.