Two men arrested in protest near Jama Masjid against Prophet remark

Two men were arrested for allegedly disrupting communal harmony and holding a protest without permission in the Jama Masjid area here last week against the controversial remarks of now-sacked BJP functionaries on Prophet Mohammad, police said on Sunday.

CCTV and mobile footage recorded by the public in the area is also being scanned to identify more culprits, they said.

Mohd Nadeem Zaid (45), a resident of the Jama Masjid area, and Mohd Faheem Khan (37), a resident of the Turkman Gate area, were arrested on Saturday night. While Zaid is a vendor, Khan works as an electrician. The two have no previous criminal record, the police said.

Protests erupted outside the Jama Masjid on June 10 with hundreds of people demanding the arrest of suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

The protesters, who gathered on the steps of the famous mosque, carried placards and raised slogans against Sharma and Naveen Jindal, former head of the Delhi BJP's media unit, over their remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Shweta Chauhan said, "On June 10, an FIR was registered at Jama Masjid police station against the protesters under section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as a protest was held in the Jama Masjid area after Friday prayers without permission. Section 153A IPC has also been added (to the FIR) for promoting communal disharmony in the area."

"On June 10, after Friday prayers, Zaid held a poster in his hands. Both Zaid and Khan raised slogans... during the unlawful assembly at Jama Masjid," she said.

Efforts are on to identify others who were involved, Chauhan said.

"We are scanning footage of multiple CCTVs installed at the protest site and also going through mobile footage recorded by the public to identify more culprits, if any, so that they can be nabbed," she said.

"Around 1,500 people had gathered at the mosque for Friday prayers. When the prayers ended peacefully, some people came outside, started showing placards and shouting slogans. Some others also joined them later and the number went up to around 300," she added.

Earlier, Chauhan had said that the protesters were dispersed by the police within 10 to 15 minutes.

Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari distanced himself from the protest, saying "nobody knows who the protesters were" and demanded action against such people.

The row over the remarks against Prophet Mohammad escalated last week as several Muslim countries denounced them, prompting the BJP to suspend Sharma and expel Jindal.