India’s ruling party suspends lawmaker arrested for insulting Prophet Muhammad

T Raja Singh is a member of legislative assembly in the southern state of Telangana

India’s ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has suspended a lawmaker after he allegedly made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad.

T Raja Singh, a member of the legislative assembly in the southern state of Telangana was suspended on Tuesday in connection with his comments in a social media video.

Om Pathak, secretary of the BJP’s central disciplinary committee, said: “You have expressed views contrary to the party’s position on various matters, which is in clear violation of Rule XXV 10 (a) of 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.”

The lawmaker has also been asked by the party to furnish a show cause report in 10 days explaining why he should not be expelled.

Mr Singh, known for his hardline Hindutva views and statements, was suspended shortly after he was arrested by police in Hyderabad.

Mr Singh’s comments, similar to those made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, had triggered protests across the city.

He is the third BJP leader to be suspended since June in connection with derogatory comments made against the Prophet.

“We have received several complaints. MLA Raja Singh has been apprehended. We will update you about the arrest as well as the sections soon,” DCP (West Zone) Joel Davis told The Indian Express.

In June, Ms Sharma was also suspended from the party after she made inflammatory comments about the prophet and his wife Aisha on a debate aired on TV news channel Times Now on 26 May.

Her comments had also placed the country at the centre of a diplomatic storm from west Asian nations and triggered violent clashes in several places across the country as well as in the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Pakistan.

In his video on Monday, Mr Singh made some comments against Islam and also criticised stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, who recently performed in the city of Hyderabad.

Last year, Mr Faruqui had been arrested in Madhya Pradesh state after complaints were filed against him alleging that he had insulted Hindu deities.

During his arrest on Tuesday, Mr Singh told reporters that though his video had been pulled down from social media, he was going to upload a second part of the same clip after his release.

“They removed my video from YouTube. I don’t know what the police are going to do. Once I am released, second part [of the video] will certainly be uploaded. I am doing it for dharma [the Hindi word for religious duty]. I am ready to die for dharma,” he said.

Mr Singh has more than 75 FIRs against him. FIRs or first information reports are usually the first part of a police investigation in India.

Most of the FIRs against him relate to hate speeches, violation of curfew orders, and disruption of law and order, reported The Indian Express.

He is also known to issue frequent statements and social media posts threatening those who oppose the Ram temple at Ayodhya — the site of a decades-long archaeological dispute that divided the nation.