Published Aug 24, 2022 | 8:35 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 25, 2022 | 1:38 PM
Hyderabad remains sensitive after suspended BJP MLA got bail. (South First/Sumit Jha)
Hyderabad was on high alert on Wednesday, 24 August, after fresh protests broke out against BJP MLA T Raja Singh over his alleged incendiary remarks against Prophet Muhammad and he being granted bail on Tuesday night.
However, no untoward incident was reported from any corner of the city throughout the day.
In the Shahalibanda area, protests started late on Tuesday and continued on Wednesday. The protestors burnt Raja Singh’s effigy and demanded his arrest.
“We are going to continue the protest till Raja Singh is put behind the bars. He has made blasphemous comments against our Prophet. It’s not the first time he has made such comments,” a protester told South First.
According to a senior police officer, around 31 protestors — including All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporator from Pathergatti, Syed Sohail Quadri — were arrested and taken to the Kanchanbagh Police Station.
Shops and commercial establishments remained closed across several localities of Hyderabad.
A shopkeeper not willing to be identified by name said, “Senior police officials asked us to keep our shops closed for the next few days due to the ongoing protests against Raja Singh.”
Several petrol refuelling stations in the Old City were also closed.
Security forces in large numbers were deployed by the Telangana Police at all strategic locations and communally sensitive areas in the city to prevent untoward incidents.
The areas were Shahalibanda, Laad Bazaar, Charminar, Moghalpura, Goshamahal, Mangalhat, Nampally, Chatta Bazaar, and Saidabad.
Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were also deployed in large numbers in the Old City.
A flag march was also taken out by the state police and RAF near Charminar and Shahalibanda.
Meanwhile, the Telangana Police registered two more criminal cases against Raja Singh — one in Nampally and another in Malakpet.
The police registered a case against him under Sections 153A, 188, 295-A, 298, 505(1)(B)(C), 505(2) and 506 of the IPC at the Nampally station.
A total of eight cases have been registered against Raja Singh in this regard.
The cases are registered at Mangalhat, Malakpet, Nampally, Dabeerpura, Chaderghat, Amberpet, Afzalgunj, and Rajendranagar Police Stations in Hyderabad.
Cases were also registered against Raja Singh in other districts of the state.
AIMIM general secretary and Yakutpura MLA Syed Ahmed Pasha Quadri wrote to Telangana Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy seeking the expulsion of MLA T Raja Singh from the Assembly.
In his letter, Quadri stated that Raja Singh’s statements had hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community across India.
“It is a blatant violation of his oath as a member of the Legislative Assembly. The oath binds a member to bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution,” the letter read.
Quadri added, “Raja Singh’s actions were deliberate to incite violence and promote hatred, and ill-will against Muslims, and thus violated the oath to uphold the integrity of India.”
Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting with top police officials at Pragati Bhavan.
Director General of Police Mahender Reddy, ADG (Law and Order), and the Commissioners of Police of all three commissionerates of the city attended the meeting.
KCR and the top cops are said to have discussed the law-and-order situation in the city and the state.
Telangana Rashtra Samithi working president and the state’s IT Minister KT Rama Rao accused the BJP of using hatred and divisive politics to divert attention from its failures.
He accused the BJP of conspiring to create communal hatred in the state in the runup to the upcoming Assembly elections.
In a tweet, he alleged that the BJP was using its brand of divisive politics to cover up the real problems of the country, like high petrol prices and unemployment.
ఈ కుట్రను కనిపెట్టకపోతే.. దేశానికే, భవిష్యత్ తరాలకు కోలుకోలేని నష్టం.
దేశం కోసం.. ధర్మం కోసం… అనేది బీజేపీ అందమైన నినాదం
విద్వేశం కోసం.. అధర్మం కోసం.. అనేది అసలు రాజకీయ విధానం
HAR GHAL JAL అన్నరు.. కానీ…
HAR GHAR ZAHAR
HAR DIL MEIN ZAHAR నింపే కుట్ర చేస్తున్నారు.— KTR (@KTRTRS) August 24, 2022
In another tweet, he claimed the BJP’s brand of politics was a ploy to damage the social fabric of the country. The country — and not hate — is important, he said.
పచ్చగా ఉన్న తెలంగాణాలో చిచ్చు పెట్టె చిల్లర ప్రయత్నం
విషప్రచారాలతో మత విద్వేషాలు రెచ్చగొడుతున్నరు
SOCIAL MEDIA ద్వారా దేశంలోని..
SOCIAL FABRIC ను దెబ్బతీసే కుతంత్రంమిత్రులారా గుర్తుంచుకోండి
ద్వేషం కాదు దేశం ముఖ్యం
ఉద్వేగాల భారతం కాదు..
ఉద్యోగాల భారతం ముఖ్యం.జై హింద్
— KTR (@KTRTRS) August 24, 2022
Meanwhile, Raja Singh’s lawyer Karuna Sagar Kashimshetty claimed that he had received multiple death threats for taking up the suspended BJP MLA’s case.
He said in a tweet that such threats “can’t deter me from practising my profession”.
However, he also tagged two official handles associated with the local police in the tweet.
Received about 3 calls threatening to kill me for taking up @TigerRajaSingh case since yesterday night…
It’s my profession &threats of dick heads can’t deter me from practising my profession… #MyProfessionMyPride@hydcitypolice @CPHydCity @shosaidabad— Karuna Sagar Adv (@karunasagarllb) August 24, 2022
