A religious message displayed on the back of an autorickshaw in Hyderabad’s Attapur area has triggered a controversy after a local resident objected to the wording and lodged a complaint with the police, alleging that it could disturb communal harmony.
The message displayed on the vehicle read: “Anyone born on this earth is a Hindu. Jai Shri Ram! Changing your religion is like changing your father.”
The autorickshaw is reportedly driven by C. Bharat Kumar, who operates near Pillar No. 105 in Attapur.
Resident Says Message Could Harm Communal Harmony
According to the complainant, he confronted the driver and requested him to remove the message.
“I told him to refrain from using such words. Hyderabad is a communally harmonious city,” the complainant said.
The driver allegedly refused, replying, “It is my vehicle. I will write whatever I feel like. What is your problem?”
The complainant later approached the Attapur Police Station and submitted a complaint.
Audio of Police Conversation Goes Viral
An audio clip, purportedly featuring a conversation between a police sub-inspector and the auto driver, has surfaced on social media.
When questioned about the message, Bharat Kumar allegedly responded, “If you type in Google, you will get the same words.”
The police officer, apparently irritated by the response, said, “Is this a joke to you? Come to the police station tomorrow.”
Police have not officially verified the authenticity of the recording.
No FIR Yet, Supporters Rally Behind Driver
As of Tuesday, Attapur Police had not registered an FIR in the matter and were yet to issue an official statement.
The controversy has since spread across social media, where several Hindutva supporters claimed the driver was being targeted for expressing his views.
Members of the Bajrang Dal and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) reportedly met Bharat Kumar and assured him of support. Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi general secretary Dr. Ravinuthala Shashidhar alleged that the Hindu auto driver had been harassed.
One social media user wrote, “Time for Hindus to come together and save our brave Hindu brother Bharat. Islamists are harassing him for the wonderful quotation on his auto.”
The post further claimed, “He didn’t say anything wrong. He wrote: ‘Everyone born on this earth is a Hindu’ and ‘Changing your religion is like changing your father.’ I presume he wrote that against conversion mafia, but somehow Islamists are triggered.”
The user also demanded police protection for the driver, stating, “Police should provide protection to him and arrest those Islamists for disturbing peace.”
Another supporter changed their display picture to the image of the autorickshaw and posted, “As a protest, I have changed my DP with the picture of the auto, for which a Hyderabad police sub-inspector has threatened the auto guy. I stand with the auto guy. Do you?”
