BJP MLA T Raja Singh Detained After Threatening To Stall Munawar Faruqui's Show In Hyderabad

Raja and his supporters were detained after he had threatened to burn down the venue of stand-up comedian in the city on Saturday.

Raja and his supporters were detained after he had threatened to burn down the venue of stand-up comedian. (Image: ANI)

Firebrand Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA T Raja Singh from Telangana and four others were taken into preventive custody on Friday while they were on their way to a show by stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui in Hyderabad. Raja and his supporters were detained after he had threatened to burn down the venue of stand-up comedian in the city on Saturday.

The Goshamahal MP had warned that if the comedian goes ahead with the show, he would beat him up and burn down the venue. Singh was taken into custody from his residence in Mangalhat and would be released later, Police said. 

In a viral video shared by many on social media, the BJP lawmaker can he heard saying that the comedian had cracked jokes on Hindu Gods in the past and should not be allowed to perform in the city. He had also alleged that Faruqui had hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus by making jokes on their gods.

Speaking to reporters while being taken in a police vehicle, the controversial leader said that he was not being given any information by the police. Singh's supporters raised slogans against the state government and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao when police officials detained him from his office in Mangalhat.

Singh's supporters were taken into custody after they tried to block the police vehicle.

Raja's threat came after the comedian took to his Instagram account to announce his show "Dongri to Nowhere" in Hyderabad on August 20.

"In the past too, our idiot minister KTR had offered police protection and invited him, saying his event will be a great success. But even then, when Hindu groups across Telangana united to threaten him, he got scared and cancelled the event," Raja Singh said, in a reference to state minster KT Rama Rao.

"I am seriously telling this. Everybody knows about the law and order in Telangana. I am telling KTR, if you don't want this to deteriorate further, don't allow the comedian in Hyderabad," the MLA from Goshamahal said.

The BJP leader went on to issue an open threat. "See what will happen, If they invite him. Wherever the program is, we will go and beat him up. Whoever offers him a venue, we will burn it down. If something goes wrong, KTR and the government and police officers will be responsible," Raja Singh said.

Farooqui had planned to perform in Hyderabad in January this year, but the event got cancelled due to uptick in daily Covid-19 cases.