Owaisi cancels Ghaziabad visit after protests

Ghaziabad July 7 (IANS) MIM President Asaduddin Owaisi has cancelled his visit here for a party programme planned for Sunday as the district administration refused permission after protests by some Hindu groups his party leaders said.
At a press meet here MIM s Ghaziabad district President Pravesh Pasha said they had applied for permission for a programme at Dasna where his party candidate won the post of the Nagar Panchayat chairperson.
However some Hindu outfits came out in opposition and announced that they would not allow Owaisi to enter Dasna he said claiming that bowing to these Hindu groups District Magistrate Ritu Maheswari refused the Owaisi permission to conduct a public meeting.
Dasna Nagar Panchayat chairperson s husband Haji Arif said that in view of the protest from all corners and denial by the district administration they were forced to cancel the party President s programme here to "maintain communal harmony" in the area.
Even as the press conference at the Media Centre at the Collectorate here was on activists of various Hindu organizations were protesting and shouting slogans against Owaisi.

--IANS sps/vd