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Owaisi brothers' proposed Aligarh visit sparks controversy

March 08, 2013 17:39 IST

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday staged a demonstration opposing any visit by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslemin chief Akbaruddin Owaisi, who is facing charges of making hate speech, or his brother to Aligarh, claiming that it would breach peace in Uttar Pradesh.

Led by Aligarh Mayor Shakuntala Bharti, Bhartiya Janata Party workers held a demonstration and met the additional district magistrate demanding that Owaisi brothers should not be allowed to visit Aligarh this weekend.

The memorandum stated that the presence of the Owaisi brothers in UP would threaten peace "in view of the recent incidents involving hate speeches" by Akbaruddin.

Meanwhile, the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union said that it has not invited Akbaruddin for a seminar on Saturday but his elder brother Asaduddin Owasi, who has "no charges" against him and alleged that some political outfits were trying to give communal colour to the issue.

"We have not invited Akbaruddin Owaisi but his elder brother Asaduddin Owasi, MP from Hyderabad, for a seminar on 'History of Aligarh College movement' on March 9 and there are no charges on him," president of AMU students union Shahzad Alam said.

"Some political outfits want to give it a communal colour by spreading rumours to this effect... This seminar has nothing to do with Akbaruuddin Owaisi," he said.

Alam clarified that the father of Owaisi brothers, Salauddin Owaisi, had been member of the AMU for a long time. After spending 38 days in a prison, MIM legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi, who is facing charges of sedition and waging war against the nation for his “hate speech”, was released on bail on February 16 in Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile a senior AMU official claimed that there was "no information regarding any such invitation" by the students union.

Image:  Akbaruddin Owaisi with his elder brother Asaduddin Owasi

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