Prophet remarks row: Muslims protest across Maharashtra to demand action against Nupur Sharma, Naveen Jindal

MUMBAI: Members of the Muslim community staged protests in several cities of Maharashtra on Friday demanding action against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and her former party colleague Naveen Jindal for their alleged objectionable remarks against Prophet Mohammad.

No untoward incident was reported from anywhere during the protests, police said.

The protests were staged by various organizations following the Friday prayers after 3 pm, a police official said.

In Panvel city in neighbouring Navi Mumbai, at least 3,000 protesters including around 1,000 women took out a protest march, seeking the arrest of Sharma and Jindal.

A delegation submitted a memorandum to Panvel tehsildar and the protest was over peacefully by 4 pm, said a local police official.

A protest was also held at Shivaji Chowk in Vashi, where a delegation submitted their demands to the Vashi Police Station, he said.

Similar protest gatherings or marches were also held in Thane, Aurangabad, Solapur, Nandurbar, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Bhandara, Chandrapur and Pune districts.

Everywhere, protestors shouted slogans and demanded registration of FIRs and arrest of Sharma and Jindal, police said.

Heavy police security was deployed at all protest venues but there was no untoward incident anywhere, officials said.

State home minister Dilip Walse-Patil said the protests passed off peacefully as police handled the situation well.

Nobody should offend other people's faith, he said.

The BJP suspended Nupur Sharma following her remarks about Prophet during a TV debate, while Jindal was expelled from the party when he tweeted similar remarks.

The Union government has already distanced itself from the controversial statements from the members of the ruling party even as they provoked strong reactions from many Muslim countries.