Protests in 14 Maharashtra districts over Nupur Sharma, Jindal’s comments against Prophet Mohammad
According to the police, protests were held after Friday prayers in 117 locations in 14 districts , including Thane, Solapur, Jalna, Aurangabad, Nandurbar, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Bhandara,Pune, Nagpur, Satara, Raigad and Chandrapur.
Activsts shout slogans as they react to remarks of suspended BJP leader Nupur sharma on Prophet Mohammad during a protest in Panvel.
(Express photo by Narendra Vakar)
Protests were held across 14 districts in Maharashtra by members of the Muslim community demanding the arrest of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and party leader Naveen Jindal, who had made objectionable comments against Prophet Mohammad last month.
According to the police, protests were held after Friday prayers in 117 locations in 14 districts , including Thane, Solapur, Jalna, Aurangabad, Nandurbar, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Bhandara,Pune, Nagpur, Satara, Raigad and Chandrapur.
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Six FIRs were registered against the protesters by the police in Navi Mumbai, Nagpur, Nandurbar, Ahmednagar, Jalna and Satara city for allegedly holding agitation without taking prior permission from the police.
Kulwant Sarangal, Additional Director General (Law and Order) said, “Protests took place at 14 places across Maharashtra… prominently in Solapur, Jalna and Aurangabad. However, no untoward incident has been reported.”
During a TV debate last month, Nupur Sharma, then BJP spokesperson, had made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad, triggering an outrage on social media.
After several Arab countries, including UAE, Qatar and Bahrain, expressed strong concerns over the comments, BJP had suspended Sharma from the primary membership of the party on Sunday. BJP’s Delhi spokesperson, Naveen Kumar Jindal, who had also made derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammed on Twitter, was expelled from the party on June 5.
Vallabh Ozarkar is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express' Mumbai bureau, recognized as an authoritative and deeply knowledgeable voice on the politics, governance, and infrastructure of Maharashtra. With approximately seven years of experience in major news organizations, his reporting delivers high standards of Expertise and Trustworthiness.
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