Syed Abdahu Quadri alias Kashaf, the Hyderabad man who was seen in a viral video leading the 'sar tan se juda' slogan against MLA Raja Singh, has been arrested yet again after being booked under the Preventive Detention Act. Twenty-seven-year-old Kashaf was filmed while sloganeering outside the Hyderabad Police Commissioner’s office in Basheerbagh on August 23. The city saw widespread protests on that day demanding the arrest of Raja Singh, after his remarks against Prophet Mohammed and Islam in a video that was later taken down from YouTube. Kashaf was arrested earlier on August 24, and was reportedly released on bail the next day.
In a press release, the Hyderabad police said that Kashaf was detained again on Tuesday, under the PD Act, on orders from the city Commissioner of Police. The release also said that Kashaf had been “habitually posting provocative and inflammatory messages and videos in the social media through his Twitter account with an intention to promote enmity between Hindus and Muslims(sic).” Kashaf’s sloganeering video which went viral on national television channels and social media platforms “created disturbance to public order throughout the country”, the release said. In the video, Kashaf was heard saying “Gustak E Rasool saw ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda (Those who blaspheme against the Prophet deserve only one punishment – to have their head removed from the body)”
The Hyderabad police said that Kashaf’s slogans “caught the attention of the gullible youth of the Muslim community which led to widespread protest programmes with violent incidents in different parts of the Hyderabad city.” The release claimed that violent incidents were reported in the limits of Moghalpura, Shahinayathgunj, Bhavani Nagar and Hussaini Alam police stations where protestors allegedly damaged a police vehicle, pelted stones on a police station, attacked a hotel vendor and private cab driver. People panicked and closed their shops because of this, and the people of Hyderabad and the entire state were scared and shocked by Kashaf’s activity, the police alleged.
Kashaf has been involved in four offences under the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate, related to the sloganeering outside the Police Commissioner’s office, a previously uploaded video calling for people to protest against the CAA (Citizenship (Amendment) Act) and NRC (National Register of Citizens), another video calling for protests against the alleged demolition of a mosque in Shameerpet, and a case related to an attack on former MLC (Member of Legislative Council) Mohammed Ali Shabbir. The Hyderabad Cyber Crime police have executed the PD order and Kashaf was sent to the Chanchalguda central prison.
Suspended BJP MLA Raja Singh was also arrested on August 25 under the PD Act, days after he secured bail in a case related to making controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammed. A police statement said he has been habitually delivering provocative and inflammatory speeches and driving a wedge between communities leading to public disorder. According to legal experts, the City Police Commissioner can invoke the PD Act against a person if they feel that he or she is a threat to law and order and the peace and tranquillity of the city. Under the PD Act, the detainee may not be able to get immediate bail.