Former AIMIM leader in Telangana gets life-term for killing political rival over a game of cricket

The special fast track court judge in Adilabad district found Mohammed Farooq Ahmed, a former Deputy Chairman of the Adilabad municipality and former district president of the AIMIM, guilty of the killing of Syed Zameer and injuring two others on December 18, 2020.

Mohammed Farooq Ahmed.

A fast-track court in Telangana’s Adilabad district has sentenced a suspended leader of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) to life imprisonment for shooting a fellow politician and injuring two others in December 2020 following a dispute over playing cricket.

The special fast track court judge Dr T Srinivas Rao, on January 24, found Mohammed Farooq Ahmed, a former Deputy Chairman of the Adilabad municipality and former district president of the AIMIM, guilty of the killing of Syed Zameer, who was himself a former corporator, and injuring Syed Mannan and Syed Mothesham in Adilabad town on December 18, 2020.

The court also sentenced Farooq Ahmed to seven years rigorous imprisonment for attempt to murder (for injuring the two others) under the relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, besides awarding three years’ imprisonment under the Arms Act. All the sentences will run concurrently. Farooq Ahmed was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs.12,000 by the judge. The court acquitted two other accused.

The prosecution had sought the death penalty against the accused on the grounds that the killing was in the category of "rarest of rare", but the court rejected the contention.

Following an argument during a cricket match between a few youngsters that boiled over, with the parents getting involved, Farooq Ahmed had fired shots from his licensed revolver on Syed Zameer, 52, Zameer’s brother Syed Mannan and nephew Syed Mothesham. In a video of the altercation, that had gone viral on social media, Farooq Ahmed was seen opening fire from his revolver, even while brandishing a knife in the other hand.

In the melee, while Syed Zameer and Syed Mothesham sustained bullet injuries, Syed Mannan received stab wounds. Syed Zameer was shifted to a hospital in Hyderabad for treatment where he died on December 26. Police investigations had revealed that the former AIMIM leader and Syed Zameer were bitter political rivals and had, prior to the fateful shooting, even indulged in a few arguments.

Following the incident, the AIMIM had suspended Mohammed Farooq Ahmed from the party.