The Hyderabad Police could be seen making a strange announcement in the old city and the video of the same has gone viral. In the video, a police vehicle in Hyderabad can be heard announcing, "11 baje ke baad dikhna ich nahin, agar dikhe toh maar khate, laathicharge kar dete. No friendly police, laathicharge police, thik hai? 11 ke baad, no open." (Do not even dare to be seen after 11 pm. If you dare, you will be beaten and lathicharged. Police will not be friendly, it will only do lathicharge. Don't open after 11 pm).
Reacting to the video, AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi tagged the Telangana DGP and Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad and questioned the announcement by the police. He asked why was Hyderabad treated differently if other shops in metro cities were allowed to "operate till 12 AM at least."
"@TelanganaDGP @CPHydCity Could such an announcement be made by police in Jubilee Hills? Whether they are Irani chai hotels or pan shops or commercial establishments, they should be allowed to remain open till 12 AM at least. In any case, there should be a uniform policy across the board. Big metros across the country allow shops to be open in the night. There’s already an economic downturn. Why is it different in Hyderabad?" he posted along with the video.
It is not exactly clear what prompted the Hyderabad Police to make the cut off night announcement. However, more than the 11 pm cut off, it is the manner of announcement that has come under criticism. With the police openly saying that it will resort to lathi charge if anyone is seen outside post 11 pm, netizens and concerned citizens rightly asked what was the reason behind such an announcement.
