Police in Gujarat's Surendranagar arrested four men for flashing a poster that stated "15 minutes" during a Muharram procession in the area on Saturday. The "15 minutes" poster was a reference to All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Akbarduddin Owaisi's infamous statement about “removing the police for 15 minutes off the streets”.
The video of the men flashing the posters during the Muharram procession went viral on social media. Following this, the Surendranagar police identified the perpetrators and arrested them on the charges of inciting communal tension.
Owaisi's infamous statement
The men found themselves in a soup for reiterating the notorious 2012 statement from Owaisi – the younger brother of AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi. During a December 2012 speech in Nirmal, then a part of united Andhra Pradesh, Owaisi remarked, "Remove the police for 15 minutes off the streets", implying there would be communal clashes.
Following the statement, Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad filed a police complaint against Owaisi for instigating communal tensions. He was acquitted in April 2022 by a special court in Hyderabad in the case. According to the police, the accused had posted the video with the intention of "breaching the peace of the society" and the sentiments of Hindus.
Circulation of Owaisi's speech has previously landed a 25-year-old behind the bars. In April, Vadodara police arrested the man for allegedly posting a video of the "15 minutes" speech along with clips of speeches from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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