The Uttar Pradesh Police arrested 18 persons in Saharanpur for allegedly posting hateful content on social media platforms last week, the Hindustan Times reported on Monday, citing the police.
Twelve of the arrested persons are Hindus and six are Muslims.
“Our experts are keeping a close watch on social media to identify people who vitiate the atmosphere by posting inflammatory remarks,” Senior Superintendent of Police Akash Tomar said. “Our team shortlisted some hate speeches and action was initiated against those who posted them on social media.”
The Uttar Pradesh Police have warned residents to not share social media posts that can hurt religious sentiments.
On Friday, demonstrations were held in Saharanpur, Moradabad, Prayagraj and other cities in Uttar Pradesh over remarks made by two Bharatiya Janata Party spokespersons about Prophet Muhammad.
In Saharanpur, protestors demanded death sentence for Nupur Sharma, who has been suspended by the BJP for her comments.
On Sunday, the Uttar Pradesh Police said it had arrested 304 persons from eight districts in connection to the violence that erupted during the protests. Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said that 13 cases have been registered in nine districts.
As of Sunday, 71 persons were arrested in Saharanpur.
Chief Minister Adityanath held a meeting with top officials regarding the protests. The chief minister’s office said that Adityanath has told officials to take stringent action against “anti-social elements” and those who violate the law.
Apart from Uttar Pradesh, demonstrations were also held in Delhi, Jharkhand, Karnataka, West Bengal and Telangana on Friday.
On June 5, the BJP suspended Sharma and expelled Naveen Jindal after a diplomatic backlash from many Muslim-majority countries.
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