Akarbuddin Owaisi attack case: Hyderabad court acquits Mohammed Pahalwan, convicts four others

Hyderabad: A local court on Thursday convicted four persons in connection with the murderous attack on All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen legislator (AIMIM) Akbaruddin Owaisi in 2011. [caption id=“attachment_2481854” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  FIle image of Akbaruddin Owaisi. PTI[/caption] The VII Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge T Srinivas Rao convicted the four under relevant sections of the IPC and the Arms Act. However, prime accused Mohammadd Bin Omer Yafai alias Mohammed Pahalwan, who allegedly masterminded the attack on Akbaruddin, the younger brother of AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, and nine others were acquitted in the case. The four convicted are Hasan Bin Omer Yafai, Abdullah Bin Yonus Yafai, Awad Bin Yonus Yafai and Mohammed Bin Saleh Wahlan. On 30 April, 2011 a group of assailants attacked the MLA, who represents Chandrayangutta constituency in Old City, with sharp weapons and firearms near the AIMIM office at Barkas. One of the assailants, Ibrahim Bin Younus Yafai had died after he was hit by a bullet when the gunman of another AIMIM MLA Ahmed Balala accompanying Akbaruddin Owaisi had opened fire in retaliation. A total of 14 accused faced trial in the case and four of them were convicted on Thursday. All the accused were present in court. Some of the accused are still in jail while some are out on bail. Elaborate security arrangements were made near the Nampally court complex with deployment of armed police personnel. Media was not allowed in the court. The Hyderabad Police had then said that the attack may be a fallout of a land dispute as Akbaruddin had opposed encroachments of government lands (allegedly occupied by some among the assailants) in Chandrayangutta and Bandlaguda areas. Apart from this reason there might be some earlier differences that led to the attack, they had said.