Hyderabad: Muslims of the city on Tuesday took part in protests against the now suspended BJP MLA from Goshamahal T Raja Singh for his alleged controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
Crowds of people sloganeered demanding that Raja Singh be delivered capital punishment for his alleged comments at Dabeerpura Darwaza.
He was granted bail by the Nampally High Court on Tuesday evening based on technical grounds.
The defence counsel had moved a bail petition before the court raising several irregularities in the procedure of the MLA’s arrest. The lawyer argued there is a flaw in the Hyderabad police’s process for not complying with the Supreme court’s guidelines.
He was arrested in the morning by the south zone police for making derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad in a “comedy video” that he released late on the night of August 22 on Youtube. Some protestors who turned up in the court were also lathi-charged by the police personnel.
Earlier in the day protests were held across Hyderabad by angry Muslims who demanded his arrest after the video was out. A massive protest took place against Raja Singh in front of the Hyderabad police commissioners’ office at Basheerbagh. In part of the Old City, some shut were shut in protest against the MLA’s comments. The Telangana unit of the BJP has also disassociated itself from his statements.
Shops in various markets of Hyderabad remain closed in protest against the derogatory remarks made by BJP MLA Raja Singh. In the Nampally market, almost all shops were shut.
The central disciplinary committee of the BJP released the MLA’s suspension letter, in which it was stated that he violated rule XXV 10 (a) of the party’s constitution. He was also asked to show cause within 10 days as to why should he not be expelled from the party.
On Tuesday morning, the MLA was arrested and taken to the Bolarum police station on Tuesday after being booked under Sections 295(a), 153(a), 505 (1) (b) and 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code.
What Raja Singh said in the video
The BJP MLA called it “comedy”, and also abused comedian Munawar Faruqui and his mother two days after the comedian’s show was held in Hyderabad.
The video was uploaded on Shree Ram Channel Telangana (now made private). Singh in fact repeated some of the things that now suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma said on TV recently, which became an international row after Muslim countries condemned it.
Raja Singh was essentially unwilling to let go of the fact that standup comic Munawar Faruqui was allowed to hold a show in the city last week. Faruqui performed at the Shilpakala Vedika with full police protection on August 20. The venue was turned into a fortress by the cops, who also put the BJP MLA under house arrest to prevent him
Telangana BJP distances itself from his comments
The Telangana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has disassociated itself from party MLA Raja Singh’s remarks on Prophet Muhammad. “Our party respects all faiths and if anyone deviates from it, we will look into it,” chief spokesperson Krishna Saagar Rao said.
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