The row over the remarks made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Muhammad is showing no signs of ending any time soon. Last Friday, violent protests were seen in Kanpur after the Namaz, and similar scenes were repeated by Islamists across many cities this Friday after the weekly prayers. Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh saw heavy stone-pelting on the police forces by Islamists after the Friday Namaz and the situation continues to remain tense.
The protest staged against Nupur Sharma quickly turned violent with the protestors pelting stones at the security forces after sloganeering. After the protests turned violent, Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) lathi-charged the protestors to clear the area. However, the stone-pelting continued intermittently despite the best efforts of the security forces.
The incident took place in Kareli Police Station area of Atala in Prayagraj district. In anticipation of the violence following the Friday Namaz, police had deployed their personnel in large numbers in advance, but the violence still broke out. Hundreds of Islamists took to the streets and started targeting the police officials to protest. The District Magistrate and the Senior Superintendent of Police tried to calm the situation down but to no effect. The protesters were demanding hanging of Nupur Sharma for her remarks.
The miscreants initiating violence seem better prepared than the local administration, and despite the use of tear gas and lathi-charge, police hasn’t been able to bring the situation under control thus far.
Prayagraj was not the only place to see protests over the issue this Friday in Uttar Pradesh as violent protests were observed in places like Lucknow, Saharanpur, Deoband and Moradabad. Protests also broke out in the National Capital Delhi over Nupur Sharma’s remarks as Jama Masjid saw a massive protest over the issue.
