For several days after a Hindu Mahasabha leader in Uttar Pradesh allegedly made derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammed, Muslims in several parts of the country have staged protests.
Nearly on every day for the past four days, in different parts of the country – both in big cities and in the districts – Muslims have taken out protests marches and rallies, condemning the remarks allegedly made by Kamlesh Tiwari.
According to a report in The Times of India, Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari had called the Prophet the first homosexual in the world in a press note that he issued. However, the date of the alleged press note is not known. Police arrested Tiwari late on Wednesday night.
Uttar Pradesh Mahasabha leaders have however, distanced themselves from Tiwari and even claimed that he was not a member of their organization, and that it was an attempt by the Sangh Parivar to malign them.
“Kamlesh Tiwari is not a member of Hindu Mahasabha and all of this a fabrication done by BJP, RSS and other saffron groups to tarnish the image of our party. They are using the name of our party to create tension in this area,” Ashok Sharma, national president of the Mahasabha told TOI.
A Muzaffarnagar-based organization has demanded capital punishment for Tiwari, saying that the insult to the Prophet called for such a punishment.
"Kamlesh Tiwari has offended Muslims across India and he needs to be punished. We cannot hear any such words against our Prophet. The sentiments of Muslims should be respected. We demand that action be taken against Tiwari at the earliest. This kind of venom cannot be allowed to spread in society,” the Times of India quoted Haji Ehsaan, a leader of the Ittehad-e-Mliiat, as saying.
Besides Muzaffarnagar, which saw communal riots in September 2013, there were protests in other places such as Bhopal, Indore and Bengaluru.