Prophet Remark Protests: Hundreds Arrested, Booked Across UP, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Delhi

Lucknow: A total of 227 people were arrested from various districts of Uttar Pradesh in connection with Friday's violence, a senior police official has said.

Of these people, 68 were arrested from Prayagraj and 50 from Hathras, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said in a statement on Saturday.

Among the rest, 48 people were nabbed in Saharanpur, 28 in Ambedkarnagar, 25 in Moradabad, and eight in Firozabad, he said.

People allegedly pelted stones at police personnel in Prayagraj and Saharanpur as people took to rowdiness during their protests after Friday prayers.

At least four other cities witnessed similar scenes during the marches that were carried out to decry the offensive remarks on Prophet Mohammad made by now-suspended ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

In Prayagraj, a mob set on fire a few motorcycles and carts and also attempted to set ablaze a police vehicle. Police used tear gas and lathis to disperse the mobs and restored peace, police said. One police personnel got injured.

Sharma was suspended by her party after several Islamic nations denounced her comment against the Prophet during a national TV debate.

In Saharanpur, protesters shouted slogans against Sharma and demanded death sentence for her.

There were protests in Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur, and Lucknow. Sloganeering took place in Lucknow.

Maharashtra: Over 100 booked for unlawful assembly

Aurangabad: An offence has been registered against over 100 demonstrators who staged an agitation in Maharashtra's Aurangabad demanding action against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and her former party colleague Naveen Jindal over their ‘objectionable’ remarks against Prophet Mohammed, police said on Saturday.

An offence has been registered under Section 149 (unlawful assembly) and other relevant provisions of the IPC and Motor Vehicles Act against the protestors, an official from Begumpura police station said.

A protest was staged by members of the Muslim community near the Divisional Commissioner's office in the Delhi gate area of Aurangabad on Friday. The police had to make efforts to bring the situation under control, the official said.

Delhi Police Files FIR on Jama Masjid Protests

New Delhi: Police have registered a case in connection with Friday's protest outside Jama Masjid to demand the arrest of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad, officials said on Saturday.

After the Friday prayers, a large crowd of people had gathered on the steps of the famous mosque, carrying placards and shouting slogans against Sharma and Naveen Jindal, former head of the Delhi BJP's media unit.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shweta Chauhan said a case has been registered under Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code on Friday against the protesters and further investigation is underway.

On Friday, the DCP had said, "Around 1,500 people had gathered at the mosque for Friday prayers. When the prayers ended peacefully, some people came outside, started showing placards and shouted slogans. Some others also joined them later and the numbers went up to around 300."

 "Police deployment always remains at Jama Masjid during Friday prayers. The protesters were dispersed within 10 to 15 minutes and the situation is peaceful. Legal action will be taken in connection with the incident. We have identified some of the miscreants and our teams are working to identify others," Chauhan said.

Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, had distanced himself from the protest, saying "nobody knows who the protesters were" and demanded action against such people.

The row over the remarks against Prophet Mohammad escalated on Sunday with protests from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Iran, prompting the BJP to suspend Sharma and expel Jindal as the party asserted that it respects all religions.