After over 300 people staged a protest at Delhi's Jama Masjid against former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma and ex-leader Naveen Jindal for inflammatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad, the Delhi Police arrested two Muslim men on Friday, 10 June, for "raising slogans" and "hooting" against Nupur Sharma.
The police, on Saturday, registered a case under Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and Section 153-A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the accused.
The two men have been identified as Mohd Faheem Khan and Nisar Ahmad.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Central District said, "On 10 June 2022 after Friday prayer he (Nisar) was raising slogans and involved in hooting against Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal during unlawful assembly at Jama Masjid."
The DCP also added that accused Faheem "had a poster in his hands" and he too was "raising slogans and involved in hooting" against the former BJP spokesperson at Jama Masjid.
The DCP had earlier told ANI, "Yesterday's protest at Jama Masjid was done without permission. People came to offer namaz at the mosque and did demonstrations after leaving it. There were attempts to provoke religious sentiments as well."
"Friday's namaz always has a crowd, so we were sensitive that something could happen. But the way people came after offering namaz with banners and placards denotes that there is some kind of planning behind it," she added.
Chauhan added that the police were investigating messages circulated on WhatsApp and 4-5 locals have been identified in the initial probe. "But most of the people are not locals," she said.
No organisations have been named in the matter yet.
Masjid Didn't Call For Protest, Says Shahi Imam
While demands for Nupur Sharma's arrests were made at the site, the Shahi Imam of the Jama Masjid distanced the mosque from the protests, saying that the masjid's committee had not issued any calls for demonstrations.
Other parts of the country also saw protests and demonstrations, with a BJP office being set on fire in Howrah, West Bengal, stone-pelting in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, and shots being fired in Ranchi, Jharkhand, where two people were killed.
A curfew was imposed in violence-hit areas of Ranchi and internet services have been suspended.
The protests demanding the arrest of the saffron party leaders remained mostly peaceful in Delhi, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Gujarat, though over a hundred people were arrested in clashes between police and protesters across Uttar Pradesh.
(With inputs from ANI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)