Who is Raja Singh, BJP MLA arrested for making objectionable remarks against Prophet Muhammad?

Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh has been arrested for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad after hundreds hit the streets of Hyderabad demanding his arrest. A case under sections 295(a), and 153 (a) has been registered against the leader, who is known for making divisive comments on social media. Singh represents Hyderabad's Goshamahal assembly constituency in Hyderabad. 

Who is Raja Singh?

T Raja Singh was a member of the Telugu Desam Party. He later joined the BJP and is currently the party's whip in Telangana.

Raja Singh has made several remarks appearing to be targeting the Muslim community.

In 2020, Facebook banned Singh from the platform and Instagram for allegedly promoting hate.

“We have banned Raja Singh from Facebook for violating our policy prohibiting those that promote or engage in violence and hate from having a presence on our platform,” a Facebook spokesperson had said.

However, Singh claimed he had not been on the platform since April 2019.

On August 20 this year, the Hyderabad police detained Singh after he threatened to thrash comedian Munawwar Farooqui if he hosted a show in the city.

In February this year, the Election Commission issued a notice to him for allegedly threatening voters to vote for BJP in Uttar Pradesh. He allegedly threatened them with bulldozers if they didn't vote for the BJP. 

In July, Raja Singh had a miraculous escape from the flash flood triggered by a cloudburst near the holy cave shrine of Amarnath in south Kashmir. 

“We sensed that weather suddenly changed and getting deteriorated. In those circumstances, chopper service would also be canceled. So we decided to descend the hills using ponies. I could see cloudburst about one kilometer down the hills. Several tents were swept away in the floods,” Raja Singh had said.

What's the current controversy?

In the viral video, Raja Singh is purportedly attacking the Muslim community for the population explosion. He also attacked those who kill people for saying anything against their religion. He also used an allegedly crass analogy for the Prophet without naming him. Hundreds of people from the community have been protesting in the city.

This comes months after a former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma triggered global outrage for allegedly making an insulting remark against the Prophet during a television debate. She was suspended from the party and is facing a clutch of FIRs in court. 

Weeks after Nupur Sharma's remarks, a tailor in Rajasthan was beheaded by two people as he had supported the BJP spokesperson.

Sharma has expressed fears for her and her family's safety.