Hyderabad: Parts of the city observed a ‘bandh’ on Tuesday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Raja Singh’s now-unavailable video on social media sparked outrage among citizens.
Shops and businesses were shut down for the day at Gulzar Houz, Charminar, Panch Mohalla, Kishanbagh, Nampally market, Shahalibanda and surrounding localities.
Many shops in Laad Bazar were shut down, and black flags were set up in the middle of the street as a mark of protest.
A big crowd gathered in Gulzar Houz to protest Raja Singh’s statements. The crowd chanted ‘Raja Singh Murdabad’ as it marched down the street.
In the Nampally market, almost all of the shops were shut on Tuesday. The traders demanded legal action against the MLA.
Raja Singh suspended
MLA Raja Singh was suspended from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday for violating the party’s rules.
Hyderabad police arrested the MLA after protests broke out following derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammed.
It all started after Raja Singh had released a video on the Jai Shree Ram channel on youtube, in which he passed derogatory comments about Prophet Muhammad. The BJP MLA called it “comedy”, and also abused comedian Munawar Faruqui and his mother two days after the comedian’s show was held in Hyderabad.
High alert in Telangana
Telangana has been placed on high alert by the police due to remarks made by the MLA. A huge number of cops have been deployed at important places in Hyderabad as well as other districts. Rapid Action Force and police forces from reserve wings of Telangana State Special Police, GreyHounds, and neighbouring districts have also been deployed.
Police pickets have also been posted in communally sensitive areas of Hyderabad and in the old city.
