Hyderabad: Controversial BJP MLA T Raja Singh was again arrested by police in Hyderabad on Thursday two days after a court released him in the case involving his controversial speech that triggered protests in Hyderabad.
Singh was arrested under a preventive detention provision, days after he secured bail in a case relating to making remarks against Prophet Mohammed and Islam. The suspended BJP MLA was picked up under Act No.1 of 1986 (Preventive Detention Act), police said.
A large posse of police officials visited the controversial MLA's home Thursday at noon served him notices under 41 A CRPC and arrested him. Scores of people were seen raising slogans in Singh's support as police arrested him. The police according to reports are going to present him at Nampally court.
ETV Bharat accessed the police detention order listing why the BJP MLA was put under Preventive Detention. In it, police has called the MLA "rowdy sheeter of Mangalhat Police Station" who has been detained under Act No.1 of 1986 Preventive Detention Act as per the orders of the Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad City.
"The detenu T. Raja Singh Lodh has been habitually delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches and driving a wedge between communities leading to public disorder. The proposed detenu Raja Singh has posted online an offensive video...against the Prophet Mohammed, who is venerated by the Muslim community with an intention to provoke all sections of people and thereby cause breach of peace and public tranquillity," the order reads.
The proposed detenu, the police order read, commented very blasphemously against Prophet Mohammed and his lifestyle. "The electronic media representatives assembled at his residence while he was taken into custody on 23-8-2022 and he once again reiterated that the police are making efforts to removal of his speech from YouTube, but that will not deter him from posting his further speeches and videos on this issue and shortly he will be posting further speeches on YouTube," it added.
"Any venomous hate speech has the potential of provoking individuals to commit acts of riot, indiscriminate violence, terrorism, etc. Offensive speech has real and devastating effects on people’s lives and risks their health and safety and severely affects fraternity, dignity of individuals, unity and national integration and also offends the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India."
When the video went viral, protests have erupted in different parts of Hyderabad City and other parts of the Telangana State and drove a wedge between communities and disturbed the peaceful nature of Hyderabad and Telangana State. Sensing danger to the life and properties in the hands of the protestors, people got panicky and closed their shops and establishments. The entire population of the City and the State went into a grip of fear and shock by his activity.
By his blasphemous utterances, the proposed detenu has been continuously creating hatred and ill-will between major communities resulting in widespread unrest among the people within the limits of Hyderabad City Police Commissionerate and in other parts of Telangana State, thereby adversely affecting the maintenance of public order.
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He has been continuously causing widespread fear, unrest and panic among the general public for a long period of time by committing such offences and acting in a manner prejudicial to the maintenance of public order apart from disturbing the peace, tranquillity and communal harmony in the society.
"The records disclose that out of the total of 101 criminal cases registered against him since 2004, he was involved in (18) communal offences in different Police Stations of Hyderabad City Police Commissionerate apart from several other cases. The Mangalhat police executed the P.D order on him on 25-08-2022 and he is being lodged in Central Prison, Cherlapally, Hyderabad," it added.
The arrest happened shortly after AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi said protests in some parts of the city were a direct result of the alleged hate speech by the saffron party leader. In a tweet, Owaisi said the police picked up 90 people from the Shah Ali Banda area on Wednesday and on his representation they were released.
"This situation is a direct result of Raja Singh's hate speech. He must be sent to jail at the earliest. I also reiterate my appeal to maintain peace. Hyderabad is our home, it should not fall prey to communalism," Owaisi tweeted. He further said AIMIM MLA Ahmed bin Abdullah Balala and the party's corporators of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation have been working all night to de-escalate the situation.
Some of the sensitive areas of the city have witnessed sporadic incidents protests against Raja Singh who was arrested on August 23 for allegedly making remarks against Islam and Prophet Mohammed in a video, which was later pulled down by the social media platform on which it was uploaded. Later, he was granted bail by a local court.
Meanwhile, women activists also protested against Raja Singh in Hyderabad. At Hussain Sagar tank bund, a well-known area of the city, social worker Khaleda Parveen led a protest against Raja Singh's controversial remarks. Meanwhile, the protesting women raised slogans against Raja Singh and the BJP and demanded their arrest and execution.
Khalida Parveen while talking to the media said that Raja Singh has committed a very "despicable act and despite registering cases at many places, he was released within a few hours of his arrest, which is condemnable". Speaking to the media, another social activist Asif Hussain Sohail said that BJP was "not enjoying peace in Hyderabad, so it is doing such actions and wants to spoil the environment of this city".
BJP Telangana reacts
BJP's Telangana unit president Bandi Sanjay Kumar alleged that the ruling TRS and AIMIM conspired to create law and order issues in the State to divert a debate on allegations of corruption against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's family members over the Delhi excise policy issue. In a statement, Kumar referred to the recent show of Munawar Faruqui in Hyderabad and alleged that the stand-up comedian had earlier insulted Hindu Gods.
Saying that many States had banned his show, he wondered as why he should be invited to the State of Telangana to perform. Why should security with "2,000 policemen" be provided to the event, he asked.
Saying that Faruqui show was cancelled in January last when some Hindu associations opposed it, Kumar asked whether facilitating such a show in Hyderabad does not amount to triggering religious animosities. He alleged that the TRS and the AIMIM together have conspired to trigger law and order problem.
He expressed doubts over some big conspiracy that has been planned for Friday and appealed to the people to be alert and observe restraint. Muslim intellectuals in the old city of Hyderabad want development and BJP wants to develop the old city as a new city, the State BJP president claimed. The AIMIM wants to promote religious animosities, he alleged.
Kumar on Wednesday alleged the TRS was hatching a conspiracy to trigger communal riots in Hyderabad to divert people's attention from the allegations against Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's family members. TRS leader B Vinod Kumar denied the allegations, and slammed suspended BJP legislator Raja Singh for his alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed.
