Srinagar- Parts of Srinagar observed a shutdown on Friday over the Derogatory remarks made by two now-sacked BJP leaders against Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh), officials said.
Most of the shops and business establishments were shut in old city areas, popularly known as downtown Srinagar, and in and around the Lal Chowk city centre, they said.
However, public transport and private vehicles were plying in these areas, according to the officials.
Government forces have been deployed in strength in sensitive places of the city and elsewhere in the Valley for maintaining law and order, the officials said.
Protests were held in several parts of Srinagar last Friday against derogatory remarks made by now-suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and party’s former Delhi unit media chief Naveen Jindal on Prophet Mohammad (Pbuh).
The comments led to an intense backlash in several Islamic countries and calls for a boycott of Indian products. There have been protests in many Indian cities as well, while multiple FIRs have been registered against Sharma.
Curfew Relaxed In Bhaderwah
Meanwhile curfew was relaxed for four hours in Bhaderwah town in Doda as the Friday prayers concluded peacefully across the district amid additional deployment of forces to maintain law and order, officials said.
The curfew in Bhaderwah town was imposed on June 9 following communal tension in the wake of protests over the derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) by now-removed BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and some social posts by local right wing activists in her support.
The curfew was relaxed from 3 pm to 7 pm, shortly after the Friday prayers, the officials said.
On Thursday, the curfew was relaxed twice for a total of five hours in the town – from 9 am to 12 pm and 3 pm to 5 pm – and the relaxation period ended peacefully without any untoward incident.
Officials said senior police and civil officers reviewed the situation early this morning and decided to continue the curfew without any relaxation in the town to ward off any trouble during the prayers.
One person was arrested and nine others detained for creating communal tension over the past week following registration of three FIRs at the local police station.
A lookout notice was also pasted at the house of an accused who is evading arrest despite raids at several places in Bhaderwah, the officials said.
Assuring full cooperation to the administration, Anjuman-e-Islamia sought the arrest of all those behind fanning communal hatred.
“People from only one community were arrested or detained so far but those belonging to other communities, who provoked the people through social media posts, have been let off. One among them has sought an anticipatory bail,” an office-bearer of the religious group said.
Meanwhile, in Jammu district, too, policemen were deployed in strength outside mosques with a direction to not allow any street protest after the Friday prayers, officials said.
Protests were witnessed in different parts of the city, including Gujjar Nagar, Talab Khatikan and Bathindi over the past week against the remarks on the Prophet (Pbuh).
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