First arrests in India after BJP blasphemy statements

A youth leader from the ruling Hindu nationalist party was arrested by police in northern India for posting anti-Muslim sentiments on social media following derogatory remarks about the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), officials reported on Wednesday.

Anti-Islam comments made by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sparked communal unrest in the city of Kanpur last week, which led to the arrest of a Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) youth leader.

At least 50 people were detained during the riots in Kanpur, a senior police official claimed. “We arrested the local lawmaker for making incendiary remarks against Muslims.”

The lawyer for Srivastava could not be reached for comment.

After BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma made anti-Muslim remarks on television during a debate, there were reports of sporadic disturbances around the country.

Both she and Naveen Kumar Jindal have been removed from the party for making anti-Islamic statements on social media, the BJP has announced.

Anger erupted on the Indian subcontinent as the governments of Muslim countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, as well as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as well as Indonesia, Malaysia, and Pakistan, all demanded an apology from the Indian government for the remarks.

According to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the remarks were made in the context of an increasingly hostile environment against Islam in India and systemic discrimination against Muslims.

Monday, India’s foreign ministry issued a statement denying any involvement in the insulting tweets and comments.

As a result of the uproar, Modi’s relations with energy-rich Islamic countries have grown strained.

Several of his Hindu nationalist party’s members have been told to be “very cautious” when discussing religion in public.

First-time international leaders speak out against what they describe as minorities’ humiliation, say members of India’s Islamic human rights movement.

“We have now been heard; only world leaders can influence Modi’s government and his party to change their attitude toward Muslims,” said Ali Asghar Mohammed, an activist for Muslims in Mumbai city who leads a voluntary rights group.