Friday prayers in the Mecca Masjid were peaceful even as the place of worship saw fewer namazis and an increase in constabulary.
On Thursday Muslim religious groups, including the Jamiat-e-Ulama Telangana Andhra Pradesh and Hyderabad parliamentarian Asaduddin Owaisi had urged calm, restrain and the maintaining of peace after Friday prayers. They had also urged the public not to gather for protests and return in an orderly fashion.
Security in and around Charminar was beefed up with a Rapid Action Force platoon, and senior police officers present, and in no mood to take chances given the recent tension in the Old City following BJP legislator T Raja Singh's offensive comments about Prophet Muhammad.
Around 1.20 pm, upon the completion of prayers, namazis began to stream out of the masjid amid intense vigilance by the police and heavy media presence. Few young men who lingered around were asked to leave.
Mild commotion was seen around 1.35 pm when a person moving under suspicious circumstances near Mecca Masjid was taken away by police.
