Men Who Fired at AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi Aborted Plan Twice, Says FIR

The attack on the Hyderabad MP took place on 3 February, when he was returning to Delhi after campaigning in UP.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, on Thursday, 3 February, said that shots were fired at his vehicle near a toll-plaza in Uttar Pradesh.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

One of the two accused in the case where there was an attempt to shoot AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi told police that he had developed an enmity with the leader after watching his speeches on social media, and then decided to kill him, according to the FIR.

The FIR registered showed that the accused initially did not answer the questions properly, but when told that the entire incident had been captured on CCTV, he revealed his plan.

The attack in Hapur took place on Thursday, 3 February, in which the MP had escaped unhurt. In a picture he had tweeted, bullet holes were visible on the car, which pierced the vehicle's tyres as well.

Had Big Enmity With Owaisi, Says Accused

Sachin Sharma, the accused, told the police that he wanted to be a "great politician," and that he often saw Owaisi's speeches on social media. "I found his speeches harmful to the country and not good either. I consider myself a true patriot…In my mind, I had a big enmity with Asaduddin Owaisi," he said.

As per the FIR, he had said that through AIMIM's Dasna chairman Arif, he got to know that the latter was contesting as an MLA, and that Owaisi was going to come for a campaign visit. "In my mind, I made a plan to kill Asaduddin Owaisi," he said, adding that it was after this that he contacted his friend Shubham, the other accused in the case. Sachin said he used Arif to keep tabs on Owaisi's movements.

Shubham and Sachin were then waiting for the right time, and had called off their plan to kill the MP at least twice before – once in Ghaziabad and once in Meerut – as there were too many people.

After this, Owaisi headed to Kithore, and there was a crowd over there as well. The duo then learnt that after the event, the MP was going to return to New Delhi. "We got to know that Asaduddin Owaisi was returning to Delhi in his car so we thought that if he got away today too, then we do not know when we will get an opportunity again," read the statement in the FIR.

They then headed towards the Chhajarsi toll booth, and shot at Owaisi's car as soon as it got there and slowed down. “As soon as I fired the first bullet, Owaisi saw me shooting, and to save himself, he ducked to the lower portion of his car. So, I fired bullets at the lower half of his car. I hoped that Owaisi may have died," according to Sachin's statement to the police.

Both Sachin, Shubham Arrested by Hapur Police

The Hapur police on Friday, February 4, then said it had arrested both Sachin and Shubham. The FIR was registered for an attempt to murder and the accused duo has been remanded in judicial custody, it said. Two pistols were seized from their possession and a Maruti Alto car was also impounded in connection with the case, police said.

Asaduddin Owaisi was given Z-category security, but he rejected the protection and asked the government to instead make him an A-category citizen at par with all.

"Why was UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) not invoked against those who fired at me? ...I want to live, to speak. My life will be safe when the poor are safe. I will not get scared of those who shot at my car," he said in the Lok Sabha.

(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute.)