A leader of India's ruling BJP has been arrested for insulting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Harshit Srivastava, the leader of the BJP's youth wing, was arrested four days after violence erupted in Uttar Pradesh over abusive language, police said.
Kanpur Police Commissioner Vijay Meena said, "We will take action against anyone who tries to play with religious sentiments."
BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma made sarcastic remarks against the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) during a TV debate on the Gyanvapi Mosque. Violence erupted in some parts of Kanpur during the protests on Friday. The Arab world also reacted angrily to the insulting remarks about the Prophet. In such a situation, Nupur Sharma was suspended and Naveen Kumar Jindal, the media chief of the Delhi branch, was expelled by the BJP.
Harshit Srivastava is the head of BJP's Kanpur Youth Front. After Nupur Sharma's remarks, she made derogatory remarks about the Prophet of Islam on social media.