India: BJP MLA held for remarks on Prophet Muhammad, party suspends him
BJP MLA T Raja Singh
Raja Singh, a BJP MLA from the southern Indian state of Telangana, was arrested on Tuesday over alleged controversial remarks against Prophet Muhammad. The party promptly suspended him.
Singh, the Goshamahal MLA, has faced backlash for allegedly making offensive remarks in a recently uploaded video.
A large contingent of the outraged population turned out to demonstrate in front of the police stations in Dabeerpura, Bhavaninagar, Reinbazar, and Mirchowk.
Singh was the subject of an FIR at the Dabeerpura Police Station under sections 153a, 295, and 505 of the IPC after a large number of people demonstrated in the streets to demand that something be done about him.
Singh and four others were taken into protective custody earlier on August 19, before comedian Munawar Faruqui's performance in Hyderabad.
The Telangana government, led by the Telangana Rashtra Samithi, was threatened with violence by Singh last week if it permitted Faruqui to perform in the city. Singh also threatened to burn down the venue.
The BJP lawmaker claimed in a video message that was widely shared on social media that the comedian shouldn't be allowed to perform in Hyderabad because he made jokes about Hindu gods.
(With inputs from agencies)
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