The days have gone when Majlis e Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) leaders used to move confidently in old and new city alike. But the scenario has changed now. With real estate boom exposing its fangs, no one including the MIM leaders seem to be safe, particularly in old city. This was quite evident with the deadly attack on MIM legislator Mr. Akbaruddin Owaisi in broad daylight, that too in his own constituency on 30th April.

Certainly, the near fatal attack on Akbaruddin has shaken the other MIM leaders and they are now rushing to procure gun licences for self protection. The MIM corporators seem to feel no longer secure and most of them have now begun looking for protection. The MIM corporators who have applied for arms licences include Khaja Bilal Ahmed of Reinbazar, Shaik Shakeel Mahmood of Dabeerpura, Mirza Mustufa Baig of Riyasat Nagar and Mohammed Yousuf Naqshbandi of Lalitabagh.

The majority of MIM corporators reside in the south zone of the Hyderabad police commissionerate and even among those who applied for the arms licences, 90 per cent come from the same zone. Incidentally, Barkas, where the attack took place on Akbaruddin, falls under Chandrayangutta police station in the south zone. An ACP rank officer of south zone confirmed that the MIM corporators have applied for arms licences, and he counted at least eight applications in his zone. It is also possible that some more applications of the corporators are lying with the commissioner's office.

However city police commissioner A K Khan finds nothing unusual in it. He said, "Every month we get about 40 applications seeking arms licence. This time some corporators also might have applied, but I am sure their number is not so unusual." Joint CP (C&S) V Venugopala Krishna said that so far, the MIM corporators had not sought security personnel. But it is learnt that while corporators with no criminal history have applied for licences, those who have 'troublesome past' doubled their own personal bodyguards.