Video Producer: Shohini Bose
Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma
Video Input: Nikhila Henry
Telangana Police arrested suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, T Raja Singh under the Preventive Detention (PD) Act from his residence in Hyderabad on Thursday, 25 August, for his alleged remarks against Prophet Muhammed.
The police, in a statement, said, "The detenu T Raja Singh Lodh has been habitually delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches and driving a wedge between communities leading to public disorder."
"The proposed detenu commented very blasphemously against Prophet Mohammed and his lifestyle," the police said.
Singh was previously arrested on Tuesday over his alleged controversial remarks against the Prophet. However, the Assistant Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court returned his remand application and ordered him to be released after it noted that Section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was not followed during the arrest.
The police added that the suspended BJP leader reiterated that the police's efforts to remove his videos "will not deter him from posting his further speeches and videos on this issue."
Singh was suspended by the BJP hours after he was arrested the first time. The party also issued him a show-cause notice for 10 days, asking him to explain why he should not be expelled, news agency ANI reported.
A day before Singh's arrest, the Telangana Police detained at least 50 Muslim youths for protesting against the controversial remarks.
The city police reportedly barged into Muslim homes and dragged the youth out, even though some parents claimed that they were innocent and had not engaged in the protests.
Protests Intensify in Hyderabad
Massive protests broke out on 23 August against the leader for his alleged statement.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi, on Thursday, said that protests in some parts of the city were a direct result of the alleged hate speech by the saffron party leader.
In a tweet, Owaisi said the police picked up 90 people from the Shah Ali Banda and Asha Talkies area on Wednesday, and they were released on his representation.
"This situation is a direct result of Raja Singh's hate speech. He must be sent to jail at the earliest. I also reiterate my appeal to maintain peace. #Hyderabad is our home, it should not fall prey to communalism," Owaisi tweeted.
According to Owaisi, in one case, the police had used disproportionate force and barged into a home and detained five youths.
"This isn't acceptable. They've been released on my representation. I asked our corporators to drop the youths back home," he said in the tweet.
Raja Singh's Prophet Remarks
Suspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh was arrested on Tuesday after a case was filed against him for hurting religious sentiments and promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion.
This came after a video showing Singh allegedly making derogatory comments against Prophet Muhammad and Islam was circulated on social media. He claimed that a second part of the video would come out shortly.
The politician was subsequently suspended and was issued a show-cause notice by the BJP within hours of his arrest, and the party stated that he expressed views that contrasted its position on various issues.
His comments came shortly after former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma made similar remarks against the Prophet and faced severe backlash globally. She, too, was suspended from the party after 10 cases were filed against her across the country.
(With inputs from ANI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)