JOIN USSuspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh arrested again over remarks on Prophet
The Telangana police arrested MLA Raja Singh again within two days, this time invoking the Preventive Detention act, and lodged him directly in the Cherlapalli central prison.
Singh's arrest took place a day ahead of Friday, amid fears that the law and order situation could go out of hand in the communally sensitive parts of Hyderabad.
Protests have been raging already in the Muslim-dominated areas since Monday when the Goshamahal MLA posted a purportedly offensive video on youtube titled - “Faruqui K Aaka Itihaas Suniye.” The video was taken down soon after.
Singh was suspended from the BJP on Tuesday. He was also arrested by the police on Tuesday but a local court ordered his release the same day after his counsel pointed to the procedural flaws in the arrest.
The video, according to Singh, was posted in response to controversial comic Munawar Faruqui's show that was allowed to take place by the Telangana authorities last Saturday here. Singh had earlier appealed to the TRS government, DGP Mahender Reddy to prohibit the show, stating that Faruqui has a history of making offensive jokes on Hindu revered figures like Lord Rama and Sita.
In a press statement on Thursday, the Hyderabad police claimed that Singh's video was against Prophet Mohammed, “who is venerated by the Muslim community” and posted with an intention to provoke all sections of people and thereby cause breach of peace and public tranquillity.
“Singh commented very blasphemously against Prophet Mohammed and his lifestyle. When the video went viral, protests erupted in different parts and disturbed the peaceful nature of Hyderabad and Telangana,” the police said.
Singh, who the police termed as a rowdy sheeter under the Mangalhat station, was detained following the orders of CV Anand, Hyderabad police commissioner.
According to police, a total of 101 criminal cases have been registered against Singh since 2004. He was involved in 18 communal offences.
Detained Raja Singh has been habitually delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches and driving a wedge between communities leading to public disorder, police said.
“Singh has been continuously creating hatred and ill-will between major communities resulting in widespread unrest among the people in the limits of Hyderabad City Police Commissionerate and in other parts of Telangana, thereby adversely affecting the maintenance of public order.”