T Raja Singh, a BJP MLA, was detained on Tuesday for reportedly uttering offensive statements against Prophet Muhammad. After large demonstrations erupted in numerous spots throughout Hyderabad on Monday night, an FIR was filed against him.
The demonstrations were sparked by a social media video in which T Raja Singh was heard making derogatory statements about Islam and Muslims.
The MLA for Goshamal had made a video criticizing stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, who performed in Hyderabad last week amid protests. Raja Singh said Munawar Faruqui offended Hindu religious sensitivities and made disparaging statements about the artist and his mother.
Raja Singh is no stranger to scandal. He is notorious for making divisive views and has been banned from Facebook for using hate speech. He also faces a vast array of criminal charges.
T Raja Singh, who is he?
1. Raja Singh began his political career with the Telugu Desam Party before joining the BJP. He is presently the whip of the saffron party in Telangana, where he represents the Goshamal constituency in the state assembly.
2. In 2015, Raja Singh got into trouble when he punched a police sergeant who had stopped the BJP politician from playing loud music at a wedding ceremony at 2 a.m. A video of Raja Singh assaulting and shoving the officer was released, and a complaint was filed against him.
3. Later that year, the BJP MLA came under fire for threatening a “Dadri-like occurrence” in reaction to a planned beef festival at Hyderabad’s Osmania University. He further declared that he was willing to “kill or be killed” in order to safeguard ‘Gau Mata’ (cow).
4. In an electoral affidavit filed in 2018, Raja Singh stated that 43 police charges had been filed against him. According to a TOI article, the offenses ranged from holding demonstrations without authorization, giving “hate speech,” rioting, defiling a place of worship, and attempting to murder.
5. In September 2020, Facebook designated Raja Singh as a “dangerous person” and banned him from all of its platforms for hate speech. The action was taken after the BJP MLA posted on social media that claimed Rohingya Muslim refugees should be slain, branded Muslims traitors, and threatened to raze mosques, according to the Wall Street Journal.
6. Raja Singh was arrested by Hyderabad Police in April 2022 for causing a disturbance and disrupting public peace and serenity after making offensive communal comments during a Ram Navami shobha yatra. During the march, he also sung a song titled “Bharat will soon become a Hindu Rashtra.”
7. Raja Singh threatened to cancel Munawar Faruqui’s event in Hyderabad last week, threatening to burn down the venue’s set. For the threat, he was placed under house arrest.
8. After being charged under sections 295A (malicious actions designed to shock religious emotions) and 153A (promoting enmity based on religion) for his statements about the Prophet, Raja Singh said that there was no respect in Telangana for people who worshipped Lord Ram, but those who made jokes about Hindu deities got away with it.
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