Four days after the Kanpur clashes, a BJP leader was arrested for comments about the Prophet

Four days after the rioting in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, a BJP politician was detained for making disparaging remarks about Prophet Muhammad. According to authorities, Harshit Srivastava, a BJP Youth Wing office bearer, was attempting to destabilize the atmosphere with his offensive posts.

“We will act against anyone who tries to play with religious sentiments,” said Kanpur Police Commissioner Vijay Meena.

After Friday prayers, members of two groups battled and flung stones at one other in Kanpur, in response to a request to shut down marketplaces in protest of BJP politician Nupur Sharma’s comments against Prophet Muhammad during a TV debate on the Gyanvapi mosque issue.

For her remarks about the Prophet, the BJP suspended Ms Sharma and fired its Delhi unit media leader Naveen Jindal on Sunday. The inflammatory words drew widespread condemnation from throughout the world, with 16 governments condemning them.

Kanpur police distributed posters featuring 40 pictures of those accused of being part in the violence on Monday. Several footage of the events, including those taken on CCTV and mobile phones, are believed to have yielded photographs of the alleged accused.

Over 50 men were arrested so far, including primary suspect Zafar Hayat, and a case has been filed against over 1,500 people, both known and unnamed, in connection with the disturbance that left more than 40 people injured.