AMN / WEB DESK
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has constituted a two-member high level committee to probe Ranchi violence. The committee consists of ADG Sanjay Anand and IAS Amitabh Kaushal. They would need to submit a report within seven days.
Two teenagers were killed in violence as police cracked down on protests that erupted across the country over derogatory remarks against the Prophet Muhammad by two members of the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The families of Mudasir, 14, and Sahil Ansari, 19, confirmed the deaths, alleging the police used disproportionate force against the protesters who marched in Ranchi, capital of eastern Jharkhand state, after Friday prayers demanding the arrest of two BJP officals.
Dozens of protesters were injured after protests turned violent. A senior police officer in Ranchi was also hurt, according to local media reports. A witness told Al Jazeera the situation worsened after Hindus organised counter protests.
Protests erupted in several states across the country over remarks made by suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on the Prophet Muhammad. Demonstrations were carried out in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand and West Bengal after Friday prayers. The protestors carried placards demanding Nupur Sharma’s arrest. Incidents of stone-pelting were reported in several states as protestors clashed with police.
255 persons arrested over protests in UP
As many as 255 persons were arrested across nine districts in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the stone-pelting and illegal gathering during protests after Friday prayers, against the comments made on Prophet by two BJP leaders recently.
At least 68 people were arrested in Prayagraj, 64 in Saharanpur, 50 in Hathras, 28 in Ambedkarnagar, 27 in Moradabad, 13 in Firozabad, three in Aligarh and two in Jalaun.
A total of 13 FIRs have been registered so far, out of which three were registered in Prayagraj and three in Saharanpur.