Protesters rally in Dhaka against remarks on Prophet

Protests were held after Jumma prayers on Friday in capital Dhaka and parts of the country to condemn the derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by two ruling party leaders of India.

In Dhaka, several thousand people took to the streets after the prayers at Baitul Mukurram National Mosque and marched up to Nightingale point in Kakrail amid heavy police deployment, witnesses said.

One of the rallies was held by Islami Andolan Bangladesh.

After the demonstration its leaders said the party will stage a demonstration and submit a memorandum to the Indian Embassy in Dhaka on June 16 protesting the remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) made by the leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The party’s senior Naib Amir Mufti Syed Muhammad Faizul Karim Shaikh Charmonai announced the programme.

He demanded that Bangladesh Parliament adopts a motion of condemnation in its current session and the government summons the Indian high commissioner to hand over a protest note.

If New Delhi fails to bring the BJP offenders to justice the party will hold a mass processions towards the Indian high commission in Baridhara on June 16, he said.

The protesters were chanting slogans against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the rally and marched up to Paltan intersection around 3:15 and back to the National Mosque again amid heavy police deployment.

Faizul Karim also thanked their supporters for making it a peaceful demonstration. Protests were also reported in the city’s Tejgaon and Jagannath University area.

No violence was reported.

Meanwhile, Muslims in Delhi and the neighbouring northern state of Uttar Pradesh of India took to the streets demanding the immediate arrest of erstwhile BJP national spokesperson Nupur Sharma and former Delhi media cell head Naveen Kumar Jindal after the Friday prayers.

On Sunday, the BJP sacked the two spokespersons from their respective posts, saying the party “respects all religions”.

India is facing diplomatic heat from the Muslim-majority nations, especially from the Middle Eastern countries over the issue.