Raja Singh Arrested Under PD Act, Sent To Judicial Remand

BJP MLA and accused in several hate speeches T Raja Singh Lodh was arrested by the Hyderabad police today.

The police invoked the PD Act against the accused as per the orders of the Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand, and sent him to judicial remand to the Cherlapally central prison.

In an official statement, the Commissioner said that Singh was also a rowdy-sheeter under the Mangalhat police station limits. He said that Singh had been habitually delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches, and driving a wedge between communities leading to public disorder in the State capital and other parts of the State. He also said that Singh had posted an offensive video on August 22, 2022, with the title "Faruqui K Aaka Itihaas Suniye" on a YouTube channel "Shree Ram Channel, Telangana" with URL https://youtu.be/N2sBNkimsLk against Prophet Muhammed, who is venerated by the Muslim community from across the globe, with an intention to provoke people and cause breach of peace.

Anand added that the accused, while talking to media representatives assembled at his residence when he was being taken into custody on August 23, had said that the police were making efforts for the removal of his speech from YouTube, and that that would not deter him from posting more hateful and blasphemous speeches and videos online.

The CP said that any venomous hate speech had the potential of provoking individuals to commit acts of riot and terrorism. Such hateful speeches also violated the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution, he said. When the hate-filled video of Singh went viral, protests had erupted in different parts of Hyderabad and other parts of Telangana, and disturbed the peaceful life in the State, he claimed. People got panicky and closed their shops and establishments, and the State went into the grip of fear, he said.

"Raja Singh has been continuously creating widespread fear, unrest and panic among the public for a long period of time. A total of 101 criminal cases have been registered against him since 2004, including in 18 communal offences. Given the entire history, the Mangalhat police executed the PD order on him and he was taken to the Central Prison of Cherlapally," Anand summed up.