Indian Muslim leaders demand action over BJP lawmaker’s hate speech
Community groups urge prosecution of ruling-party lawmaker T. Raja Singh after blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad spark nationwide outrage
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Muslim scholars and community leaders in India have urged authorities in the state of Telangana to take strict legal action against T. Raja Singh, a state legislator from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), after he made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad during a public rally in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
A video of Singh’s speech, which has gone viral online, shows him mocking participants of the ongoing “I Love Muhammad” campaign — a peaceful social movement expressing devotion to the Prophet that has faced police repression in several Indian states. In the clip, Singh uses deeply offensive language about Muslims, a statement that many rights advocates say constitutes incitement to hatred.
Following widespread outrage, Muslim representatives met Telangana’s Director General of Police B. Shivadhar Reddy this week, demanding immediate prosecution to prevent further communal unrest.
Police in Telangana have opened an investigation into Singh under India’s hate-speech laws following multiple complaints from community groups.
The case has reignited debate over India’s handling of hate speech by ruling-party figures. Raja Singh has a long record of inflammatory statements targeting Muslims. In 2022, he was arrested by Hyderabad police under the Preventive Detention Act for insulting Prophet Muhammad but was later released on bail by the Telangana High Court.
Analysts say Singh’s remarks are part of a broader pattern of impunity for Hindu nationalist leaders who deploy anti-Muslim rhetoric to polarize communities. Civil society groups warn that repeated leniency toward such speech not only emboldens extremist voices but also undermines faith in India’s rule of law.
Meanwhile, the “I Love Muhammad” campaign continues to draw heavy-handed police response in several northern states, particularly Uttar Pradesh, where Muslim youths have been detained and charged for displaying banners or posters linked to the initiative.
Community leaders have urged India’s federal and state authorities to act decisively, arguing that selective enforcement of hate speech laws erodes communal harmony and further marginalizes the country’s Muslim minority.
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