Protests over insults against the Prophet Mohammed rage across India


Taniya Dutta
  • English
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Sporadic violence broke out in several Indian cities on Friday as angry Muslim demonstrators took to the streets to demand the arrest of officials in the Bharatiya Janata Party accused of insulting the Prophet Mohammed.

Nupur Sharma, spokeswoman for the BJP and Naveen Kumar Jindal, another party official, made the inflammatory comments last week during a televised debate and in social media posts.

Both officials are the subjects of police cases in a number of states for offending religious sentiments but neither has been arrested.

The BJP is one of India's two major political parties and is led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Protesters gathered on the streets in large numbers after Friday prayers in several parts of the country, including near the Jama Masjid in the capital Delhi.

“Our demand is that those who have used derogatory words should get strict punishment,” one of the protesters told a local news channel.

Similar protests took place in Maharashtra, Punjab and West Bengal.

But in northern Uttar Pradesh state, violence erupted in at least two places.

Police said protesters hurled stones at security forces in the Saharanpur district while angry demonstrators set fire to a police officer's car in Prayagraj, which led riot police to use tear gas.

At least 21 people were arrested in Saharanpur and some protesters were also detained in the Deoband area.

Video footage shared by local media showed police and paramilitary forces using batons on the protesters.

Local authorities had imposed restrictions on gatherings in several parts of the state over fears of possible violence and teams of police were sent to sensitive areas to keep the peace.

A curfew was imposed in northern Jammu’s Bhaderwah district and mobile internet was cut after clashes broke out on Thursday.

In Kashmir's Srinagar, shopkeepers launched peaceful protests, holding up placards and chanting: “We want justice.”

In Ranchi in eastern Jharkhand, hundreds of protesters took to the streets and reportedly torched and vandalised cars.

In southern Karnataka state, protesters hung an effigy of Ms Sharma from an overhead cable on a motorway.

Modi government distances itself from 'fringe elements'

The protests came as Muslim countries around the world, including the Gulf, condemned the remarks.

At least 16 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Turkey, lodged diplomatic protests with New Delhi over the comments.

The BJP suspended Ms Sharma and expelled Mr Jindal in response to the international backlash.

Mr Modi’s government also distanced itself from the two officials, describing them as “fringe elements” and saying their comments did not reflect the views of the Indian government.

But tempers have been running high in India, with many demanding the arrest of Ms Sharma and Mr Jindal.

Both officials were assigned additional security from the govern

ment after they claimed that they had received death threats.

Delhi police on Thursday filed a complaint against Ms Sharma and Mr Jindal for “trying to disrupt public tranquillity and inciting people on divisive lines”.

Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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Youth YouTuber Programme

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Chef Nobu's advice for eating sushi

“One mistake people always make is adding extra wasabi. There is no need for this, because it should already be there between the rice and the fish.
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THE BIO

Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979

Education: UAE University, Al Ain

Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6

Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma

Favourite book: Science and geology

Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC

Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.

T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS

Qualifier A, Muscat

(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv) 

Fixtures

Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain 

Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain 

Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines 

Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals 

Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final 

UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia

Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
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Bio

Age: 25

Town: Al Diqdaqah – Ras Al Khaimah

Education: Bachelors degree in mechanical engineering

Favourite colour: White

Favourite place in the UAE: Downtown Dubai

Favourite book: A Life in Administration by Ghazi Al Gosaibi.

First owned baking book: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.

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    Always check the weather forecast before setting off Make sure you have plenty of water Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon Wear appropriate clothing and footwear Take your litter home with you
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Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
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Rating: 2/5

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Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

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Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar

Launched: 2017

Employees: 22

Based: Dubai and Muscat

Sector: Automobile retail

Funding to date: $5.5 million

UAE v IRELAND

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1st ODI, Friday, January 8

2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10

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4th ODI, Thursday, January 14

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Date started: 2012

Founder: Amir Barsoum

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: HealthTech / MedTech

Size: 300 employees

Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)

Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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(trainer) 

6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m 

Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor 

7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m 

Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer 

7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m 

Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor 

8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m 

Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby 

8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m 

Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons 

9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m 

Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor  

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Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

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When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

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Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment

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Rating 3 /stars

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Du Football Champions

The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.

Updated: June 10, 2022, 7:38 PM