Syed Abdahu Kashaf, the Hyderabad man who was seen in a viral video leading slogans calling for the beheading of MLA Raja Singh, has been arrested by the police.
The video was filmed outside the Hyderabad Police commissioner’s office in Basheerbagh, amidst widespread protests in many parts of the city in the early hours of Tuesday, 23 August demanding the arrest of Raja Singh.
The legislator, who has since been suspended from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), triggered controversy by making remarks against Islam and Prophet Mohammed. Cyber Crime Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) KVM Prasad confirmed Syed Abdahu Kashaf's arrest to TNM.
"A case has been booked under three sections – Section 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups), 505(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). He was arrested yesterday and has been presented in court today," the ACP told TNM on Thursday.
What Happened?
In the viral video, a group of young men can be heard sloganeering, “Gustak E Rasool saw ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda (Those who blaspheme against the Prophet deserve only one punishment – to have their head removed from the body).”
Kashaf, who was seen in the video leading the sloganeering, had earlier told TNM that Raja Singh’s comments had angered followers of the Prophet.
“Disrespectful comments against our Prophet made me very emotional. I have faith in the Indian judiciary that the hate monger MLA will be punished,” he had said.
He also said that Raja Singh being released on bail on Tuesday night had sent across a wrong message among the youth of the country.
Meanwhile, Raja Singh was arrested for the second time in a week on Thursday after the Hyderabad police invoked the Preventive Detention (PD) Act against him. According to Hyderabad police records, out of 101 criminal cases registered against Raja Singh since 2004 in different police stations in the city, 18 were communal offences, a press note issued on Thursday said. The Mangalhat police executed the PD order and he is being lodged in Cherlapally Central Prison in Hyderabad.
(Published in arrangement with The News Minute.)
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