Prophet row: 30 AIMIM protesters arrested in Delhi

New Delhi: Delhi Police have arrested 30 AIMIM party workers under various charges, including rioting, during a protest against suspended Bharatiya Janata Party leaders who had allegedly made controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammed, an official said on Friday.

The protests were held in the national capital on Thursday.

An FIR was lodged against the protesters and they were accordingly arrested under sections 147 (Punishment for rioting), 149 (Every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence commit­ted in prosecution of common object), 186 (Obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions), 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 332 (Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

“They will be shortly produced before a court,” the official sources said.

Several members of the AIMIM party had gathered outside the Parliament Street police station to register their protest against the suspended BJP leaders — Nupur Sharma and Naveen K. Jindal — over their derogatory comments against Prophet Mohammed.

The protesters demanded immediate arrest of the abovementioned BJP leaders. But as they raised slogans outside the Parliament Street police station, the police detained 33 of the protesters and took them to the Mandir Marg police station.

Pertinent to mention here that an FIR was also lodged against AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and several others for hate remarks in the backdrop of suspended BJP leaders’ comments.

“We have lodged the FIR against those who were spreading messages of hate, inciting various groups and creating situations which are detrimental to the maintenance of public tranquility. One case has been registered against Nupur Sharma and another one has been registered against multiple social media entities based on the analysis. Notices will be sent to the social media intermediaries for the details,” Delhi Police PRO Suman Nalwa had said on Thursday.