Workers of the ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in Maharashtra protested against BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma on Tuesday for allegedly making ‘blasphemous’ statements about Prophet Muhammad during a TV debate. Members led by Minister of Housing, Minority, and Wakf, Jitendra Awhad, NCP Mumbai Chief Anand Paranjape, and Shanu Pathan assembled at the Darul Falah Masjid in the Mumbra area in Thane, Mumbai and demanded Sharma’s immediate arrest.
Hundreds of people gathered on the streets blocking the passage of vehicles during the protest. At the protest, Shakir Shaikh, Maisar Khan, Sakib Date, Marjiya Pathan, Najim Buber, and others backed Shanu Pathan, who sought Sharma’s immediate arrest. The NCP workers also chanted slogans such as “Nupur Sharma Murdabad”. Several women also joined the protest against Nupur. The demonstrators who were obstructing the traffic were eventually detained by the police.
This comes a day after Mumbra Police filed another FIR against Nupur Sharma under several sections of the IPC for allegedly inciting hatred and inciting religious emotions. Two separate cases against Sharma have already been filed in Mumbai and Bhivandi.
Following a Times Now news discussion on Thursday evening, Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair dog-whistled an online mob against Sharma, accusing her of disrespecting Prophet Muhammad. Other Islamists backed him up, with several threatening her and her family with murder and rape.
While speaking at a gathering, AIMIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi also tried to incite his supporters against Nupur Sharma. Owaisi said he is appealing to Prime Minister Modi to punish BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma for making a statement about Prophet Muhammad, as any remark on Prophet Muhammad is not acceptable to him.
During a debate on Times Now over the disputed Gyanvapi structure, Nupur Sharma argued that if people are criticising Hinduism, they can also criticise other religions, referring to Islamic teachings. Zubair from Alt News took the video out of context and shared it with his Twitter followers, calling Nupur a communal hatemonger capable of instigating bloodshed.
Immediately, troll accounts appeared on Nupur Sharma’s timeline, threatening her with numerous threats, including threats to behead her, indicating that the dog-whistling had succeeded. In other similar situations, such as those involving Kamlesh Tiwari and Kishan Bharwad, a similar type of threat resulted in their deaths.
