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Telangana BJP MLA arrested again over Prophet remarks
In a statement, Hyderabad police commissioner CV Anand said 45-year-old Singh was served notice under Section 41 of The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) on Thursday afternoon before being arrested under the Preventive Detention Act by Mangalhat police.
Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator T Raja Singh was arrested on Thursday under the Preventive Detention Act, two days after being released on bail in a case pertaining to allegedly making controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammed that triggered widespread protests, the Hyderabad police said.
In a statement, Hyderabad police commissioner CV Anand said 45-year-old Singh was served notice under Section 41 of The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) on Thursday afternoon before being arrested under the Preventive Detention Act by Mangalhat police.
The MLA, who represents Goshamahal assembly constituency in Hyderabad, was lodged in the Central Prison at Cherlapally, the senior officer added.
“A team of police officials from the Shah Inayathgunj and Mangalhat police stations reached the legislator’s office at Mangalhat on Thursday afternoon and served the notice to him under Section 41 of CrPC. Later, they took him into custody,” the statement said.
Heavy police deployment was made at Mangalhat and surrounding areas to prevent any untoward incidents, the senior officer said. Singh’s followers raised slogans and tried to obstruct the police.
The police commissioner said Singh has been habitually delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches and driving a wedge between communities leading to public disorder.
“In a video posted on a YouTube channel, he made blasphemous comments against Prophet Mohammed and his lifestyle,” Anand said.
The MLA had threatened to post more such speeches and videos on YouTube, the commissioner said.
“Any venomous hate speech has the potential of provoking individuals to commit acts of riot, indiscriminate violence, terrorism, etc,” he said. “When the video went viral, protests erupted in different parts of Hyderabad city and other parts of the Telangana and drove a wedge between communities and disturbed the peaceful nature of Hyderabad and Telangana.”
As per the police records, of the total 101 criminal cases registered against Singh since 2004, he was involved in 18 communal offences in different parts of Hyderabad, the officer added.
Meanwhile, separate notices were also served on Singh — who was suspended from the party by the BJP on Tuesday and stripped of his floor leader’s post in the state assembly — under Section 41(A) of CrPC, in connection with his alleged hate speeches and playing provocative songs during a Ram Navami procession on April 10 this year.
“Singh has been booked under IPC (Indian Penal Code) sections 153 (A) (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion), 295(A) (making comments with deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of any class), 504 (intentional insult with an intent to breach of peace), and 505(2) (making statements to promote enmity),” said a senior police officer from Shah Inyayatgunj police station, requesting anonymity.
On Tuesday evening, too, Singh was arrested on charges of making derogatory comments against the Prophet. However, Nampally criminal court later in the day ordered his release on the ground that the police had not followed proper procedure including issuance of prior notice for questioning him under Section 41(A) of CrPC.
On Thursday, the Hyderabad police moved the high court challenging the bail granted by the lower court. The case is expected to come up for hearing on Friday.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that the comments by Singh was part of the “BJP strategy to gain politically” in the ensuing by-election to Munugode.
“If this is how desperate BJP is for one bypoll, what’ll it do in general elections? It wants to set the state on fire. It wants burnt homes, empty shops, closed schools & curfews. Inshallah, won’t let them succeed. Telangana will be mukt of violence as long as it’s mukt of BJP,” Owaisi said.
Ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader and state legislative affairs minister Vemula Prashant Reddy welcomed the arrest of the BJP MLA. He said assembly speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy would go by the rule book in taking action against the MLA, as demanded by the AIMIM legislators.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) Minorities Department Chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail also welcomed the arrest of suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh under PD Act.
Meanwhile, the old city of Hyderabad remained peaceful on Thursday after heavy police deployment was made in all sensitive areas. While shops and other commercial establishments remained open, schools and colleges were closed till week-end as a precautionary measure, another police officer said.
There were sporadic incidents of violence late on Wednesday night, when some Muslim protesters took out a procession at Asha Talkies area of Shah Ali Banda demanding action against Singh. There were some reports of stones being pelted at the police who tried to stop the procession.
The police resorted to mild baton-charge to disperse the agitators and took around 30 of them, who were pelting stones, into custody, the officer added.
In view of the special Friday prayers at Mecca Masjid and the Ganesh Chaturthi festival next week, the police have heightened the security measures in the old city area. Rapid Action Force is already deployed in the area and intensified patrolling is being done. Senior officers are monitoring the situation, said police.
Meanwhile, Hyderabad police announced arrest of one Syed Abdahu Kashaf for making an “outrageous” and “highly objectionalble” statement directly inciting violence.
Kashaf allegedly posted on social media calling for the severing of the head of suspended BJP legislator T Raja Singh. “He posted the statement on his twitter handle syedkashaf95, which was very alarming and intended to provoke breach of peace,” Hyderabad police commissioner C V Anand said.
He said the Cybercrime police took up the case suo motu and began an investigation to collect all the evidence. “The accused further tried to gather people and indulge in the acts to disturb peace and tranquillity,” he said.
Anand said after preliminary investigation, the Cybercrime police arrested Kashaf and registered the case under Section 153 (A), 505 (2) and 504 IPC. He was produced before the court. However, he was released on personal bond.
Similar case was booked against another accused Rashid Khan for giving an offensive statement and promoting enmity between different groups underground of religion.
