Scores of people carrying placards protested outside Jama Masjid in Delhi after the Friday prayers demanding the arrest of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her controversial remarks on Prophet Muhammad.
A senior police officer said that while some of the demonstrators left the site after some time, others continued to protest.
Delhi Police has registered an FIR against 31 people, including AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and controversial priest Yati Narsinghanand, and filed a separate case against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for allegedly spreading hate and hurting religious sentiments.
The two FIRs were registered on Wednesday after a social media analysis, they had said.
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Former Delhi BJP media unit head Naveen Kumar Jindal, who was expelled from the party over his alleged remarks against Prophet Mohammed, and journalist Saba Naqvi have been named in the FIR.
Meanwhile, India has been facing a wave of criticism from Gulf nations affecting its international diplomatic ties. The United Arab Emirates, Oman, Indonesia, Iraq, the Maldives, Jordan, Libya and Bahrain have joined the growing list of countries in the Islamic world that have condemned the remarks. Earlier, Kuwait, Iran and Qatar had called Indian ambassadors to register their protest, and Saudi Arabia had issued a strongly-worded statement.
Meanwhile, the BJP has set new rules for its spokespersons and television panellists aimed at preventing the kind of backlash that unrestrained commentary from Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal caused, as per a report.
