Hyderabad: With the Telangana High Court quashing the Preventive Detention (PD Act) orders invoked by Hyderabad police against Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh, roads for the MLA to get back into the BJP fold are now open. The legislator is still under suspension by his party.
The Bhartiya Janata Party placed the MLA under suspension after multiple cases were booked against him for allegedly making derogatory comments against Prophet Mohammed in a video. The Hyderabad police had invoked PD Act against the MLA and detained him at Central Prison in Cherlapalli afterwards. He had been detained at the Central Prison since August 25.
Raja Singh had made a video mocking Prophet Mohammed in response to comedian Munawar Faruqui who held a show at Shilparamam on August 20. Raja Singh then had demanded the show be cancelled claiming Faruqui had “mocked Shri Ram and Sita Mata” in his shows and hurt sentiments of Hindu community.
Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay during a meeting with Singh’s wife Usha Bai reportedly assured her of all possible help to Raja Singh. Sources in the party said the BJP high command is under pressure from a few state leaders who said Raja Singh is a popular figure in Telangana and has lakhs of followers in the state. They want his suspension to be lifted.
Raja Singh’s ‘Sri Ram Yuva Sena a cause for worry’
The other point of worry for the BJP Telangana leadership is Raja Singh reviving his old group ‘Sri Ram Yuva Sena’. He had formed it at least three decades ago. Soon after his arrest and PD Act, protest and bandh calls were organized by the Sri Ram Yuva Sena.
If the BJP leadership sidelines him, it would be a big blow to the party for Raja Singh is a well known Hindutva leader and a “dedicated” gau rakshak. As things stand, the BJP will not want to lose him at any cost, a senior party leader said.
On the other hand, the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi also does not want to prolong the Raja Singh issue so that he gets more public sympathy, a political analyst said. The police on the other hand is extra cautious having learnt of the communal flare-up in Hyderabad after the derogatory statements made by Raja Singh against Prophet Muhammad.
His threat perception increased and hence the police will now reevaluate his saturation and take suitable measures. The MLA enjoys a BR (Bullet Resistant) vehicle and 2 + 2 PSO cover. The local police also monitors his security periodically. The police officials, sources said, will conduct a fresh security review and take appropriate action.
MLA under surveillance
Nevertheless, the Hyderabad police will continue to maintain surveillance on Raja Singh and will not hesitate to book fresh cases if any of the bail conditions are violated, said sources. The conditions are that he must stay away from social media platforms and not give any provocative statements. The Hyderabad police has so far have not come on record to issue any statement on challenging the Telangana high court order.
Background of Raja Singh’s arrest
Suspended by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in late August, MLA Raja Singh was sent to jail under the PD Act for posting a video in which he makes derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad, leading to massive protests by Muslims across the city of Hyderabad.
His comments lead to scores of people protesting on the streets demanding his arrest. Following his video, the BJP MLA was booked by the Dabeerpura police for his remarks. Many people were also taken into custody by the police after protests broke out.
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