A few policemen were injured here on Friday while trying to control a frenzied mob near Hanuman Temple, situated on Ranchi's Main Road after protests erupted with hundreds of people demanding the arrest of a suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad, police said.
Police resorted to warning shots and lathi-charge to control the mob which spilled out on the road after Friday prayers and pelted stones and shouted slogans. "Few policemen have been injured. We are looking into the situation. We are reinforcing deployment," a senior police official told PTI. A large crowd of people gathered on Main Road shouting slogans against Sharma and Naveen Jindal, former head of the Delhi BJP's media unit. Heavy security deployment has been made to manage the situation and avoid any untoward incidents.
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According to police officials, the protest has been continuing since morning and picked up tempo post-Friday prayers. Many shops and establishments kept their shutters down in protest against the remarks. The protestors demanded the immediate arrest of Sharma raising slogans. "More than 1,100 shops in the market were shut since morning in protest against remarks of Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal. We demand their immediate arrest," New Daily Market Traders Welfare Association President Haji Md Hasim told PTI.
Hasim said they wanted a peaceful procession but the police didn't permit such activities. "So we are protesting peacefully outside our shops here," he said.
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The row over the alleged derogatory remarks against Prophet Mohammad escalated on Sunday with protests from countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Iran, prompting the BJP to take action against its functionaries and assert that it respects all religions. As the row intensified within the country and abroad, the BJP on Sunday suspended Nupur Sharma and expelled Jindal.
