Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party removed the MP from office hours after he was arrested on suspicion of “inciting hatred in the name of religion.”
Lawyer for T. Raja Singh, an MP in the state of Telangana in southern India, said Indian police arrested him and then released him in a Hyderabad court after Islamist groups demanded his arrest for making offensive comments about the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) . his).
Hours after local police arrested Singh, the BJP suspended his membership pending an internal investigation.
“His membership was suspended for expressing opinions contrary to the party’s beliefs. The party does not believe in criticism of any religion,” party official Om Pathak, who ordered Singh’s removal, told Reuters.
The arrest comes just months after the BJP suspended its spokeswoman over her remarks about the Prophet that sparked a diplomatic backlash against India.
“He was accused of inciting hatred in the name of religion,” Joel Davis, a senior Hyderabad police officer, told Reuters.
“We have detained him and will arrest him. It’s related to the music video he recently released.”
Media footage shows hundreds of Muslims protesting against Singh on Monday night after the video was posted on social media.
