Cops in a Fix Over Akbar Owaisi Speech?

Hours before Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leader Akbaruddin Owaisi appears before investigators in Nirmal, Adilabad, for his alleged hate speech, police claim that they are in a catch-22 situation. They neither have first-hand evidence nor the necessary wherewithal to authenticate Akbaruddin’s video floating on the internet. This is being taken as a clear indication by analysts that Owaisi will go scot free. Meanwhile, the MIM MLA is likely to arrive in the city in the early hours of Monday and later proceed to Nirmal to face the investigators.    

Investigators claim that they are left with no option, but rely on eye-witnesses since the Adilabad and Nizamabad district police had not even bothered to videograph the proceedings of MIM Jalsa. As a result, they are now at the mercy of media personnel and others who attended the meeting. And in all probability, none of the MIM activists might depose against their leader. 
       
“It is a fact that police had not recorded Akbaruddin Owaisi’s speech. Also, at the same time we cannot rely on YouTube video, since it will be secondary. Instead, we will use the footage captured by personnel who attended the meeting. We think that it will stand good enough as evidence since the video was taken when the MIM Jalsa was underway,'' an officer, who is part of the investigation team in Nirmal. 
    
Forensic experts said in the given situation it would be a challenge to prove lip synchronization with the voice of Akbaruddin in the video. Besides, establishing the location where Akbaruddin gave the speech would be another uphill task. 
   
“The person who recorded the video himself would have to depose to prove from which camera he had shot the proceedings on the day of offence,” a senior officer said. Caught on the wrong foot, police have decided to rely on eye-witnesses in the given situation, but doubts persist whether anyone would courageously stand up and testify against Akbaruddin for his hate speeches in Nirmal and Nizamabad. 
    
The Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory (APFSL) is still in the process of procuring advanced audiovideo voice detection tools, which could address several lacunae, as the existing tools are reportedly not completely foolproof.    

Forensic experts said in the given situation it would be a challenge to prove lip synchronization with the voice of Akbaruddin in the video. Besides, establishing the location where Akbaruddin gave the speech would be another uphill task.    

 “The person who recorded the video himself would have to depose to prove from which camera he had shot the proceedings on the day of offence,” a senior officer said. Caught on the wrong foot, police have decided to rely on eye-witnesses in the given situation, but doubts persist whether anyone would courageously stand up and testify against Akbaruddin for his hate speeches in Nirmal and Nizamabad.     

The Andhra Pradesh Forensic Science Laboratory (APFSL) is still in the process of procuring advanced audiovideo voice detection tools, which could address several lacunae, as the existing tools are reportedly not completely foolproof. 

Security beefed up for Akbar’s return

Meanwhile, police are making elaborate bandobust arranagments for MIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi’s return to the city from London in the early hours of Monday. He is likely to appeal before the Nirmal police later in the day. 

    
According to intelligence reports, MIM activists, led by party’s MLAs, are planning to organise a rousing reception to welcome the firebrand leader at the RGI Airport. They might even follow him till his residence at Banjara Hills road no.12. 
    
The Nirmal police had summoned the MLA to appear before them on January 7 in relation to a case booked against him for the hate speech delivered there during a public meeting on December 24. Akbaruddin is likely to obey the summons. 
    
As a precautionary measure, the Nirmal Town police have imposed Section 144 (prohibit assembly of five or more persons) of the Criminal Procedure Court from 6am to 6pm on Monday. As a convoy of 30 to 40 vehicles is likely to follow Akbaruddin Owaisi’s vehicle to Nirmal, commissioners and SPs of Hyderabad, Cyberabad, Ranga Reddy, Medak, Nizamabad and Adilabad have been told to remain on high alert from Sunday night. The staff at 60 law and order police stations have been ordered to be on standby and station house officers (SHOs) have been asked to remain at police stations on Sunday night. Police are setting up pickets on the route from Shamshabad airport to Akbaruddin’s Banjara Hills residence to stop miscreants from resorting to violence. Checkposts have been set up in South Zone and police patrolling has been increased. 
    
Police would also beef up security at the Nampally court premises on Monday as two separate petitions related to hate speeches of Akbaruddin and Togadia would come up for hearing on Monday. Hyderabad police and their counterparts in Ranga Reddy, Nizamabad and Adilabad have been asked to remain on alert and intercept private vehicles following Owaisi’s vehicle wherever possible. 


‘Hi-tech forensic tool will be acquired soon’ 
Hyderabad:“We will shortly procure advanced tools for audio, video, voice forensic at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. It is false to say that the existing system is not foolproof,’’ APFSL director O Narasimha Murthy told TOI. Nirmal, Nizamabad II Town and Osmania University police are relying on footage captured by media personnel and YouTube video as evidence to show that Akbaruddin Owaisi gave insidious speeches. Authentication proves vital when the MLA might deny making such statements. Advocate K Karunasagar and Mangalhat corporator Raja Singh, who filed petitions against Akbaruddin for his hate speech, would depose before the Nampally court on Monday. Raja Singh is a well known Hindutva activist.