Hyderabad: BJP MLA Raja Singh suspended from party after comment on Prophet

The Hyderabad Police arrested Goshamahal BJP MLA T Raja Singh hours after he made offensive remarks about Prophet Muhammad.

BySumit Jha

Published Aug 23, 2022 | 3:14 PMUpdatedAug 23, 2022 | 3:16 PM

T Raja Singh

The BJP on Tuesday, 23 August, suspended Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh after his comment on Prophet Muhammad.

“You have expressed views contrary to the party’s position on various matters , which is in clear violation of the constitution of the Bharatiya Janata Party. I have been directed to convey to you that pending further inquiry, you are suspended from the party and from your responsibilities/assignments if any, with immediate effect,” said BJP’s Central Disciplinary Committee member secretary Om Pathak in a letter to Singh.

“Please also show cause within 10 days from the date of this notice as to why you should not be expelled from the party,” he wrote.

Earlier in the day, the Hyderabad City Police arrested Singh hours after he made offensive remarks about Prophet Muhammad in a now-taken-down video that sparked protests across Hyderabad.

Some areas of the city had been put on high alert following the incident, the police said.

Singh was picked up from his home in Mangalhat early Tuesday morning and was taken to the Shahinayatgung Police Station.

The video, posted by Singh on his YouTube channel late on Monday, has been been taken down by the police. It was apparently in reaction to standup comedian Munawar Faruqui’s show in the city on Saturday.

Protests erupted at around 2 am on Tuesday after Raja Singh released the controversial video on YouTube at midnight.

Massive protests led by the AIMIM and the Hyderabad Youth Courage (HYC) rocked Dabeerpura, Humayun Nagar, Charminar Chandrayangutta, and other parts of the city.

At midnight, protesters assembled near the police commissioner’s office in Basheerbagh demanding the arrest of Raja Singh.