Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday ordered state officials to take strict action against those attempting to disturb the state’s peace and tranquillity.
Officials like ACS Home Awanish Awasthi, acting DGP, ADG Law & Order, are monitoring the situation from police Head quarters as Uttar Pradesh is riddled with protests over the contentious statements made by the now-suspended Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma and ousted leader Naveen Jindal.
In the Atala area of UP’s Prayagaraj, stones were pelted during the clashes. In the stone-pelting, the official vehicle of the Additional Director General (ADG) of Prayagaraj, who was on the ground to control the law and order situation, was also damaged. In the visuals shared by ANI, the windshield of the white Innova can be seen broken.
Similar protests were also witnessed in Lucknow, Deoband and Moradabad in UP. Besides Uttar Pradesh, protests were witnessed in Delhi, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir among other states.
Before taking action against Sharma and Jindal, the BJP had issued a press release in which it distanced itself from the comments made by the duo and isolated itself from any philosophy that ‘demeans any sect or religion’. “The BJP does not promote such people or philosophy”, read the letter undersigned by the party’s national general secretary Arun Singh, adding, “India’s constitution gives the right to every citizen to practice any religion of his/her choice and to honour and respect every religion.”
However, India became the target of a diplomatic offensive, with Muslim-dominated countries condemning the remarks. Several countries, like Qatar, Iran and Kuwait summoned Indian envoys to register their displeasure.
