Protests continued in Hyderabad on Wednesday over the demand for the arrest of BJP MLA T Raja Singh who had allegedly made a controversial remark against the Prophet Muhammad. Lok Sabha MP Assaduddin Owaisi blamed Singh for the volatile situation in the city and demanded that he is arrested.
Singh, who had been arrested earlier this week, was released on bail on the basis of a technicality -- the court accepted the defense argument that the police didn't serve him notice before the arrest.
In a tweet on Thursday morning, Owaisi said, "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".
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.
Owaisi claimed at his insistence, 90 youths protesting against the remark at Shah Ali Banda and Asha Talkies were released.
Singh, while speaking against Munawwar Faruqi in a now-deleted social media video, made disparaging comments against the Prophet and blamed the Muslim community for the population explosion. He was booked by the police for the remark and later arrested.
The BJP has suspended the MLA from the party and issued a show cause notice to him.
Singh is known for making divisive remarks. In 2020, he was briefly banned from Facebook and Instagram. Last week he was detained for opposing the comedian's show in the city.
The remark comes months after BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma was suspended from the party for a similar remark that led to international outrage. The party had distanced itself from the remark after that saying those were the views of fringe elements, not the government.
