Prophet remarks row: 350 arrested in UP for June 10 violence; 20 social media accounts suspended for posting hate comments

LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Police has so far arrested 350 people from eight districts in connection with the violence that erupted in parts of the state on June 10 over now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma's controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

At least six cities witnessed violence on June 10 after protests against Sharma's remarks spun out of control.

Sharma made the remarks during a TV debate.

Of the 350 people arrested, 92 are from Prayagraj, 84 from Saharanpur, 55 from Hathras, 41 from Ambedkarnagar, 40 from Moradabad, 20 from Firozabad, seven from Lakhimpur Kheri, six from Aligarh and five from Jalaun, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said in a statement on Tuesday.

Thirteen FIRs have been registered in nine districts in connection with the matter.

Of these, three FIRs have been registered in Prayagraj and Saharanpur, and one each in Firozabad, Ambedkarnagar, Moradabad, Hathras, Aligarh, Lakhimpur Kheri and Jalaun, he said.

On June 10, mobs pelted police with stones during the violence in Prayagraj and Saharanpur.

In Prayagraj, a mob set on fire a few motorcycles and carts and also attempted to set ablaze a police vehicle.

Police used tear gas shells and lathis to disperse the protesters and restore peace.

A policeman was injured in the violence, according to officials.

In Saharanpur, protesters shouted slogans against Sharma and demanded the death sentence for her.

There were protests in Bijnor, Moradabad, Rampur and Lucknow as well.

Twenty social media accounts have been suspended for posting hate comments following the controversy surrounding now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma's remarks against Prophet Mohammad, Ghaziabad Senior Superintendent of Police Muniraj G said on Tuesday.

The officer said the Internet media cell of the district police was monitoring hate messages on social media platforms and had identified 100 more such accounts.

One person has been arrested in this connection, he said.

The police have also issued an advisory on its Twitter handle warning people against posting hate messages.

Meanwhile, Dasna Devi Temple priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati complained to the police that some miscreants have generated fake social media accounts using his name and picture and were posting obnoxious comments.

The police have taken cognisance of the matter and the cyber crime cell is probing it, the SSP said.

The Ghaziabad administration had issued a notice to the priest last week, warning him of legal action if he makes a statement which spreads communal hatred.

The move by the administration came after the priest declared that he would go to Delhi's Jama Masjid on June 17 and give a presentation on the Quran.