Remarks on Prophet row: UP cracks down on 'trouble makers'

The UP Police and administration were on alert to prevent incidents of communal clashes, following the one in Kanpur last Friday, following remarks against the Prophet by BJP leader Nupur Sharma. Police in Aligarh registered a case against Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha general secretary Pooja Shakun for writing a letter to the President seeking a ban on Friday prayers. During a recent TV debate, Pandey defended Sharma's remark and alleged 'all violent incidents take place after Friday prayers', referring to the Kanpur clashes.

Aligarh SSP Kalanidhi Naithani said a case has been registered against Pandey under sections 153A, 153B, 295A, 298, 505 of IPC. The provisions deal with attacks on religion and creating enmity on communal grounds.

The Ghaziabad DM and police also sent a notice to Yati Narsinghanand, head priest of the Dasna temple, asking him to not proceed with his plan of taking Islamic religious texts to Jama Masjid on June 17, as this could disturb law and order. Authorities warned him from making controversial statements, failing which action would be taken against him. Narsinghanand had defended Sharma and said he would furnish Islamic religious texts, including the Quran, to all prominent maulvis assembled at Jama Masjid, to 'prove' Sharma's statement was 'a fact mentioned in the religious texts.