A total of 533 persons have been arrested in Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal for violence over remarks made by two Bharatiya Janata Party spokespersons about Prophet Muhammad.
While 333 persons have been arrested from eight districts of Uttar Pradesh, the West Bengal Police have made 200 arrests, according to The Hindu.
Protests erupted in several parts of India on Friday against the remarks made by BJP spokespersons Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal about the Prophet. On June 5, the BJP had suspended Sharma and expelled Jindal after a diplomatic backlash from many Muslim-majority countries.
Demonstrations took place in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, and Telangana on Friday. In most cities, including Delhi, Kolkata and Prayagraj, the protests started after Friday prayers.
However, in West Bengal, protests started on Thursday. The protestors set several kiosks and vehicles, including those belonging to police, on fire in Howrah on Friday. A local train was vandalised in Bethuadahari town of Nadia district on Sunday.
On Monday too, sporadic incidents of violence were reported from the state, according to The Hindu.
In North 24 Parganas, train services were briefly affected after protesters blocked the tracks near the Hashnabad railway station. A mob had also gathered near the Bethuadahari railway station. It dispersed after police resorted to baton-charging.
The West Bengal Police said it has registered 42 first information reports related to the violence.
Additional Director General Jawed Shamim said that there has been no loss of life or serious injury.
“People have been booked for road blockade, assault, rioting, and damage to public property and spreading communal hatred,” Shamim said, according to The Hindu. “Nobody will be spared. We will identify each and everybody and take strict action”
His Uttar Pradesh counterpart Prashant Kumar said that 13 cases have been registered in nine districts, according to PTI.
“Ninety-two people have been arrested in Prayagraj, 81 in Saharanpur, 51 in Hathras, 41 in Ambedkar Nagar, 40 in Moradabad, 17 in Firozabad, six in Aligarh and five in Jalaun,” Kumar said.
Of the 13 cases, three have been registered in Prayagraj and Saharanpur, and one each in Firozabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Moradabad, Hathras, Aligarh, Lakhimpur Kheri and Jalaun.
Last week, the police arrested 18 persons in Saharanpur for allegedly posting hateful content on social media platforms.
The Uttar Pradesh Police have warned residents to not share social media posts that can hurt religious sentiments.
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