Hyderabad: A traffic constable with the Cyberabad Police has been accused of hurling communal abuse at a Muslim woman and her teenage son during a dispute over a parked motorcycle in Gachibowli, in an incident that has triggered anger among sections of the city’s minority community after a video of the exchange began circulating on social media.
The incident took place around noon on Thursday, July 2, outside a BP petrol station opposite the IKEA exit gate on the Gachibowli-Raidurg stretch, according to a written complaint filed by Mohammed Sameer, whose wife and son were at the receiving end of the alleged abuse.
In his complaint addressed to the Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Cyberabad, Sameer said his wife and son had parked their two bike behind barricades on a stretch of road that had been closed off, alongside three other bikes parked in the same spot. When they returned to retrieve the vehicle, they found the road cordoned off and requested the traffic officer on duty, identified as J Mallesham, to move the barricades so they could take the bike out.
According to the complaint, the officer refused, telling them the spot was not meant for parking, and then began hurling abuses at the woman and her son, allegedly threatening them with physical violence. It was at this point, the complaint stated, that the officer made the remark that has become the centre of the row – “This is not Pakistan and Afghanistan to park as you like.”
Sameer’s letter goes on to say that the officer then instead began recording the family on his personal mobile phone.
In the video that has circulated online, the argument is seen escalating even as the officer trains his own phone camera on the family. “First, you answer my question,” he is heard telling them at one point, before the son can be heard asking him, “If we are Muslim, will you call us Pakistanis? How can you harass us like that?”
The officer is then heard insisting that rules had been broken and that there had to be consequences. “There are rules here. You need to follow. There needs to be punishment for not following the rules. You think you can park your bike wherever you want?” he says.
The son responds by pointing out that the no-parking signage was on the main road and not visible from where the bike was parked, adding that he had already apologised.
The mother alleges that the officer had earlier told her son, who was wearing earphones, to “remove it from your ear” in a manner she found disrespectful, asking him, “Have you gone mad?” The officer says he asked the young man to take his earphones off only so that he would listen to what was being said to him.
As the exchange nears its end, the son can be heard reminding him that he is a public servant answerable to the public and demanding to see his nameplate. The officer, sounding defiant, gives his name as “Malleshwaram” before the video cuts off.
The remarks have drawn sharp criticism from members of the community, who have pointed out that such comments reflect a pattern of profiling Muslim citizens that have increasing become common in the last few years in Telangana.
In his letter, Sameer asked what oath the officer had taken while entering government service, and questioned how such conduct was compatible with the constitutional duty of a police officer to remain neutral and protect all citizens regardless of religion. He has sought disciplinary action against Mallesham to ensure such incidents are not repeated.
The Cyberabad Traffic Police are yet to issue an official response. It was also not immediately clear what action has been taken against Mallesham.
