Protests erupted across several parts of the country on Friday, June 10, with the agitators demanding action and arrest of the suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and her former party colleague Naveen Kumar Jindal for their remarks on Prophet Mohammed. Protests were witnessed in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Ranchi, Ahmedabad, Navi Mumbai, Ludhiana, Hyderabad and Jammu and Kashmir, and some areas also saw violence. Here are the updates in 7 points:
1. People pelted stones at policemen in Prayagraj and Saharanpur and protests broke out after Friday prayers in at least four other cities in Uttar Pradesh. In Prayagraj, some motorcycles and carts were set on fire and an attempt made to set ablaze a police vehicle. The police used tear gas and lathis to disperse mobs and peace was later restored, they said, adding that one policeman was hurt in Prayagraj.
2. There was slogan-shouting against the now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her remarks during a TV debate, also triggering outrage in several Islamic nations. There were also protests in Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur and Lucknow over the controversial remarks. Sloganeering took place in Lucknow.
3. According to local people, stone pelting continued for over 15 minutes in Prayagraj. They said some of the miscreants pelted stones at the police personnel deployed on the main road, as the situation escalated when more people joined the stone pelters.
Assistant Chief Secretary (Home) Awanish Awasthi said, "Minor force was used to stop some people involved in the violence. The situation in Prayagraj is now peaceful. I would like to appeal to people to use democratic ways of protest without resorting to violence."
In Saharanpur, people holding placards raised slogans against Nupur Sharma. Some of them also turned violent after the security personnel tried to stop them. This led to brief stone pelting in Nehru market area of the city. Some madrasa students also raised slogans in Deoband area. The protesters also raised slogans demanding capital punishment for the BJP leader.
4. Four people, including the district president of AIMIM, were arrested in Bijnor as a precautionary measure. People demanded action against the BJP leader and waved banners with "Arrest Nupur Sharma" written on them in Rampur and Moradabad.
5. In Kanpur, which was the epicentre of communal violence last week, the Friday prayers were held in a peaceful manner with no reports of any untoward incident. The prayers were held in a watertight security vigil by police personnel. A heavy police force was deployed in the area with senior police and administrative officials present on the spot.
This comes following clashes last week in Kanpur over the remarks on the Prophet at a TV debate some days earlier. A high alert was issued across the state after that, and a heavy police force was deployed to ensure that violence does not occur again.
6. Miscreants on Friday hanged an effigy of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma from an electric wire near a mosque on Fort Road in Belagavi, police said. As the issue triggered a public outrage, police along with the city municipal corporation removed it quickly, they added. The police have registered a case against unknown miscreants for spreading enmity between communities and disturbing peace in the society.
7. In Delhi, shops were partially closed in some minority areas as massive police deployment was enforced to avoid untoward situation. A massive protest broke out at Jama Masjid in the national capital.
"People had gathered in large numbers for just 15-20 minutes after which the crowd dispersed. The situation is now under control," a senior Delhi Police official said. Muslim protesters, soon after the Friday prayers, had gathered on the stairs just outside the Jama Masjid, holding placards against the former BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal. The agitators were demanding immediate arrest of the suspended BJP leaders.
"As the protest was carried out without any prior permission from the Delhi Police, a legal action will be initiated," the official said. Jama Masjid's Shahi Imam Ahmed Bukhari said no call was given for the protest.
India faced a major pushback on the Prophet row after Muslim countries protested on the issue, envoys were summoned and Qatar, Kuwait, UAE and Iran issued statements. The government has, however, said that the statements do not reflect its view but are of fringe elements.
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