Mumbai motivational speaker Zama & 2 others booked for spreading hatred

Hyderabad: Telangana police on Thursday sealed a hotel in the Regimental Bazar of Secunderabad and booked its owner, manager, and a Mumbai-based motivational speaker for allegedly outraging feelings and provoking hatred.

A few days ago, Mumbai-based popular motivational speaker Munawar Zama conducted a month-long English-speaking and personality development workshop at the Metropolis hotel, which the Gopalapuram police sealed on Thursday.

While around 151 people drawn from several parts of the country participated in the workshop, one among them was Salman Salim Thakur, who vandalized the idol of a local goddess in the Mutyalamma temple in Secunderabad on Monday.

Police found that in the name of a personality development workshop, Zama had delivered provocative speeches against one religion, due to which Salman, who belonged to Mumbai, had vandalised the temple and the idol. Police are also scrutinising the conference recordings, material distributed to participants, and several other details.

Salman entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Muthyalamma temple near the regional passport office in Secunderabad early on Monday and desecrated the main idol of the temple, which had triggered protests by local people, Hindu outfits, and the BJP.

The Gopalapuram police booked a case against Munawar Zama and Metropolis hotel owner Abdul Rasheed Basheer Ahmed and manager SA Rehman. The Gopalapuram police booked them under sections 299—deliberate insult or outrage of religious feelings; 192—malicious or wanton provocation with the intent to incite a riot; 196—promoting enmity and hatred between different groups based on various grounds; 223—disobeying orders from public servants that can lead to obstruction or danger; and 49—abetment to commit a crime of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).

The hotel accommodated all 151 participants in its 49 rooms. On Thursday, police evicted the rooms and sealed the hotel.

Gopalapauram police station sub inspector L Suresh, in his complaint, said that Mumbai-based motivational speaker Munawar Zama not only promoted enmity between different groups on religious grounds, he provoked participants to cause riots. He also provoked Salman to damage the idol of the goddess at Muthyalamma temple, Suresh said in the complaint that had formed the basis for registering the case.

Salman self radicalised

Police also found that Salman, who allegedly desecrated the main idol at Mutyalamma temple in Secunderabad, was self-radicalised by watching videos of Islamic preacher Zakir Naik and other preachers on social media and was earlier involved in similar incidents in Mumbai.

Locals later identified Salman, apprehended and trashed him, and subsequently turned him over to the police. "The locals handed over Salman to us, and CCTV footage showed him entering the temple and vandalising the idol. He sustained injuries and is currently receiving treatment at a hospital,” said North Zone DCP S Rashmi Perumal.

The police took Salman into custody and shifted him to a hospital. He is now under treatment for internal injuries, and his condition remains serious.

An FIR was registered against him under relevant sections of the BNS. Investigation revealed that Salman, a native of Mumbai, started watching videos of Islamic preachers like Zakir Naik on social media, a statement from Hyderabad Police said.

He was active on social media, and the analysis of his phone and social media activities revealed that he was watching videos of Naik and other Islamic preachers.