Indian police announced the arrest of Raja Singh, a lawmaker from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, on Tuesday, on charges of making comments deemed "insulting" to the Prophet Muhammad.
Indian police arrested a ruling party lawmaker on Tuesday on charges of making comments deemed "insulting" to the Prophet Muhammad, weeks after similar comments by a senior official plunged the country into a diplomatic storm.
Raja Singh's comments sparked outrage in the southern city of Hyderabad, where hundreds of people gathered on Monday night to demand the politician's arrest.
On the same day, the BJP member, who was known for his inflammatory sermons, released a video that media reports said contained insulting remarks about the Prophet.
A senior Telangana state police officer confirmed to AFP that Singh had been arrested early Tuesday.
Singh's comments came as part of a stinging attack on Munwar Farooqi, a famous Muslim comedian who has been harassed and threatened by Hindu nationalists over the religious content of his themes.
Farooqi gave a performance in Hyderabad last week. News website India Today reported that Singh had earlier threatened to burn down the place.
His arrest comes weeks after a prominent BJP spokeswoman caused protests across India and neighboring countries over remarks about the Prophet Muhammad during a televised debate.
Nupur Sharma was suspended from the party in June after her comments prompted the governments of some 20 countries to recall their Indian ambassadors for clarification.
Two people were killed in clashes between police and Muslim protesters in the same month, while two Muslim men were arrested for the horrific murder of a Hindu tailor who posted on social media in support of Sharma.
Last month, India's Supreme Court criticized Sharma for "setting the country on fire".
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