Indian lawmaker held for releasing blasphemous content against Islam

NEW DELHI (AA) – A Hindu nationalist Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker was arrested for making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings Be Upon Him). The offensive content has sparked large scale protests in Hyderabad city in India’s southern Telangana state.

Thakur Raja Singh, the BJP member of the state Legislative Assembly, was arrested on Tuesday morning after multiple cases were registered against him in different locations in the city.

“We have apprehended him. Further details will be shared soon,” Joel Davis, a senior police officer in Hyderabad disclosed.

On August 22, Singh had audaciously released am offensive video of himself making derogatory comments about the Holy Prophet Peace Be Upon Him.

Subsequently, protests broke out in different parts of Hyderabad, with protesters demanding action against him.

Recently, Nupur Sharma, a BJP spokeswoman, had made insulting remarks about the Prophet of Islam Peace Be Upon Him during a TV debate, eliciting widespread condemnation both at home and in the Islamic world. The reaction to her words compelled the BJP to suspend Sharma’s party membership.

Another BJP spokesman, Naveen Kumar Jindal, was expelled from the party for making comments on social media in support of Sharma and against Islam. Following their remarks, massive rallies were held across the country.

More than a dozen Islamic countries as well as international organizations had condemned the controversial remarks.

Blasphemous speech directed at the Prophet of Islam Peace Be Upon Him is a virulent and malafide form of Islamophobia hurting the sentiments of billions of Muslims all over the world.