A senior officer confirmed the arrest and said, “We have taken him in preventive custody. This is not an arrest.”
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Police on Friday morning detained BJP MLA T Raja Singh ahead of stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui’s show in the city on Saturday. Raja had threatened of dire consequences if Faruqui’s show was allowed.
Singh, in a recent video message, had informed his supporters that Farouqui’s show has been confirmed at hall number 3 of the HITEX convention centre on August 20. He requested his followers purchase some tickets of the show. In the video, he was heard saying, “I am against this show. He has insulted my gods and what are we expected to do? We request the police to cancel this show and don’t let the city’s peace and harmony be disturbed. Request Muslims to join us and oppose him. And if police don’t pay heed to our requests, should we sit idle?”
In a separate video, Singh had urged the police to stop Faruqui from performing in Hyderabad. He also threatened to burn down the show’s venue. “In the past, they cancelled the event when Hindu groups united, though Minister KTR offered police protection and invited him. See what will happen this time. We will burn down the venue if anyone offers him one and if anything goes wrong, KTR’s government and police are responsible,” Singh was heard saying.
A senior officer confirmed the arrest and said, “We have taken him in preventive custody. This is not an arrest.”
Earlier, Faruqui’s show ‘Dhandho’ was scheduled for January 9 but was called off. While his team cited Covid-19, the saffron party was in strong opposition to the show. Faruqui’s show ‘Dongri to Nowhere’ is listed for Saturday, August 20.
