Two Indian police officers were killed and more than 130 people were arrested Friday during protests organized by Muslims against insulting comments made by a member of the ruling party, according to a policeman.
Anger has gripped the Muslim world ever since last week, when a spokesperson for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Party criticized the relationship between Aisha, the Prophet's youngest wife, and the Prophet, during a televised debate.
After Friday prayers, Muslims marched in large numbers across India and neighbouring countries to protest the remarks. Police opened fire on the crowds in Ranchi, an eastern city.
Ranchi police officers requested anonymity to say that the police had to fire on protesters to disperse them and that some were shot with bullets. This led to the deaths of two people.
Police say that protesters refused to follow police orders to not march from a mosque or market, and instead threw rocks and broken bottles at police trying to disperse them.
Authorities shut down internet access in the city and instituted a curfew. After several protests in the north, police from Uttar Pradesh used tear gas to disperse at most one group.
Although most protests ended peacefully in many places, in some areas, protesters hurled stones at officers and wounded at least one officer. Avanish Awasthi is a chief secretary of the state government. He said to reporters that he would take tough action against anyone who engages in violence and throw stones.
Prashant Kumar (a senior official of the state police) said that up to 136 protesters were being held in six districts in Uttar Pradesh.
On Friday, protests erupted across India. Some people burned effigies representing Nupur Sharma (BJP spokeswoman), who was the catalyst for the storm.
The BJP suspended the spokeswoman and issued a statement insisting on respect for all religions.
Many Indian Muslims feel more attacked by the Hindu nationalist government led by Narendra Modi. The last census in India, 2011, showed that India had 1.3 billion people. 14.33% of them were Muslims and 79.80% Hindu.
India was rocked by Nupur Sharma's remarks. Nearly 20 Muslim nations summoned Indian ambassadors to seek explanations.
According to police, protests were held in Bangladesh on Friday by more than 100,000 people. A radical religious party called for more aggressive action by the Pakistani government against India and another 5,000 protestors marched in Lahore, Pakistan.
