Indian police arrested a lawmaker from the ruling party on Tuesday on charges of making insulting comments to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, weeks after similar comments by a senior official plunged the country into a diplomatic crisis.
Raja Singh's comments sparked outrage in the southern city of Hyderabad, where hundreds of people gathered on Monday evening to demand the politician's arrest.
On the same day, the BJP member, who was known for his inflammatory sermons, published a video that media reports said included insulting statements to the Prophet, peace be upon him.
A senior Telangana state police officer confirmed to AFP that Singh had been arrested early Tuesday.
Singh's comments came in the context of a scathing attack on Munwar Farooqi, a famous Muslim comedian who has been harassed and threatened by Hindu nationalists over the religious content of his articles.
Farooqi gave a performance in Hyderabad last week, and India Today reported that Singh had earlier threatened to burn down the venue.
Singh's arrest comes weeks after a prominent spokeswoman for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) caused protests across India and neighboring countries over remarks offensive to the Prophet - peace be upon him - during a debate on a televised programme.
Nupur Sharma was suspended from the party last June after her statements prompted governments of about 20 countries to summon their Indian ambassadors for clarification. Social media in support of Sharma.
India's Supreme Court in July criticized Sharma for "setting the country on fire".