Overview
- The confrontation in Hyderabad’s Gudimalkapur, which erupted Saturday night, began after cow-protection activists stopped a tarpaulin-covered lorry that police later said was carrying plywood.
- Police and witnesses said the driver, Shaik Rasool, was pulled from the cab and beaten, which drew residents to the scene and led to stone pelting between two groups.
- Officers used a lathi charge to disperse the crowd, brought in reinforcements, reported injuries to police personnel, and documented damage to parked vehicles before restoring traffic on the Mehdipatnam–Attapur road.
- Asif Nagar police said an FIR based on the driver’s complaint has been filed under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections, investigators are reviewing CCTV footage, and no arrests have been made yet.
- Political fallout followed as AIMIM MLA Majid Hussain protested at the DCP office and Golconda DCP G Chandra Mohan said prima facie the BJP youth wing provoked the incident, a claim now under scrutiny after the state’s earlier warning against vigilante blockades.