India: 130 Arrested In Protests Over Remarks Against Prophet Muhammad

Indian police have arrested 130 during protests over ruling party member's derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad.

The Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports on Saturday that there have been widespread protests in the country since last week when a spokesperson for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party commented on the relationship between the prophet and his youngest wife on a TV debate show.

Muslims then took to the streets in huge numbers to condemn the remarks, with police firing on a crowd in the eastern Indian city of Ranchi.

Two protesters were reported to be shot dead in the course of the protests as the AFP quoted a police officer saying; "Police were forced to open fire to disperse protesters resulting in the death of two."

Officers said that the crowd had defied their orders not to march from a mosque to a market and had thrown broken bottles and stones when police attempted to disperse the rally with a baton charge.

Avanish Awasthi, a senior government secretary in the state said; "We will take strict action against those indulging in stone pelting and violence.

"Those working behind the scenes, instigating violence, will not be spared at all."

Prashant Kumar, a senior police officer in the state, added that up to 136 protesters had been arrested from six districts around Uttar Pradesh.

Since coming to power in 2014, Modi's government and the BJP have been accused of discriminatory policies toward Muslims.

His government also proposed a law that granted citizenship to refugees in India, but not if they are Muslim, while BJP state governments have passed laws making it harder for Muslims to marry outside their religion.