Suspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh, who was arrested yesterday for allegedly committing blasphemy against Prophet Muhammad, was granted bail on the same day. To protest against his release, Islamists in Hyderabad took to the streets and held demonstrations throughout the night. During these protests, they were continuously raising slogans demanding the beheading of T Raja Singh. The protest also turned violent and 4 police personnel were injured in an attempt to control the mob.
It is notable that T Raja Singh’s attorney argued in the bail plea that no notice was served to the MLA under Section 41(A) of the Criminal Procedure Code. The court accepted this argument of the lawyer and granted bail to T Raja Singh. Subsequently, protests started across the state. The sloganeering by the mob increased so much that the police had to disperse the crowd with lathi-charge and by using tear gas.
Old City, #Hyderabad : Protesters agains gathered at Shalibanda giving Sar Tan Se Juda slogans against suspended BJP MLA #RajaSingh pic.twitter.com/48IANolGal
— Pramod Chaturvedi (ANI) 🇮🇳 (@PramodChturvedi) August 24, 2022
Protests against Raja Singh were held in Amberpet, Tallabakatta, Mogalpura, Khilwat, Bahadurpura and Chanchalguda. Hundreds of protesters marched from Barkas to Chandrayangutta.
Protests erupt in Shalibanda once again, markets shut, protesters say they will continue to agitate till Raja Singh is punished #HateSpeechRow https://t.co/KF9W0DFLsM
— Swastika Das (@swastikadas95) August 24, 2022
In Hyderabad’s Shalibanda, a violent clash between protesters with the police took place. The police van was also vandalized by the protesters. Apart from this, the incidents of forcibly closing shops in the market, hitting slippers on posters of T Raja Singh, and burning his effigy are also reported.
Protest again erupted at Shalibanda blocking main road against #BJP suspended MLA Raja Singh for making derogatory statements on #ProphetMohammad. I don’t understand why @hydcitypolice is still allowing protest since late last night & no action on Sar Tan Se Juda sloganeers pic.twitter.com/DViUeRf8J8
— Sowmith Yakkati (@sowmith7) August 24, 2022
Controversy erupted in Hyderabad after a statement by T Raja Singh
On Monday, 22nd August 2022, BJP MLA T Raja Singh made a video criticizing so-called comedian Munawar Faruqui. In this video, while talking about Islam, T Raja Singh talked about an elderly person, which Muslims said that it is an objectionable comment made about the Prophet Muhammad. However, T Raja Singh said that it was a joke. This was followed by protests across the city. On Tuesday morning, police arrested T Raja Singh. In the afternoon, the BJP suspended him from the party and then the court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days.
Muslim organizations are calling T Raja Singh’s remarks shameful, shocking, and riot-inciting. T Raja’s supporters demanded his release. Late at night, the court granted him bail. But after this, the situation in the city deteriorated again. Fundamentalists came on the road in large numbers. As the tension prevails in the state, there is a continuous demand for action against the suspended BJP MLA amidst the beheading calls by the protestors.
