SRINAGAR/LUCKNOW/RANCHI: Protests erupted in several parts of the country on Friday against the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad by two now-suspended BJP functionaries. Some policemen were injured in stone pelting, forcing security forces to resort to lathi-charge, tear gas shelling and firing in the air at some places.
Most of the protests including at the historic Jama Masjid in Delhi broke out after the Friday prayers and several arrests were also made by the police. Hundreds of protesters massed outside Jama Masjid and some of them gathered on the steps of the mosque. However, Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, distanced himself from the protests saying “nobody knows who the protesters were” and demanded action against such people.
In Jammu and Kashmir, protests were held at Batamaloo, with demonstrators seeking detention of BJP’s Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal for their comments on the Prophet. In Jammu, residents of Gujjar Nagar submitted a written complaint against local TV journalist Ashish Kumar for supporting Sharma’s remarks on social media. Sporadic stone-pelting was reported in Bhadarwah against “derogatory remarks against Islam” by Ashish Sharma, a local resident, and stopped only after cops intervened.
