Authorities move for anti-terror charges in SSP office protest

HYDERABAD: Police have moved to add anti-terrorism provisions to a case registered over an alleged protest and clash at the office of the senior superintendent of police in Hyderabad, escalating the matter against a group of transgender persons and a former police official.

DSP Central Investigation Agency Inayat Qureshi asked a civil judge and judicial magistrate to permit the inclusion of Sections 6 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act in the FIR lodged at Cantt police station on June 3. He argued that the protesters entered the SSP office premises, disrupted official functioning and intimidated staff, bringing the incident within the scope of anti-terror law.

Police said more than a dozen transgender persons had gathered at the SSP office to demand the restoration of Maria Sario as in-charge of the Women and Children Facilitation Cell. They alleged that the current in-charge, Sub-Inspector Benazir Zardari, was not cooperating with them.

Maria Sario, identified as a junior clerk, had been removed from the post in December 2025. She was also suspended along with her former husband after departmental action. In a separate case, she had earlier faced allegations of misconduct, which were upheld in an internal inquiry, according to the police.