Authorities in India have demolished the homes of several Muslim figures allegedly linked to protests triggered by derogatory remarks by two leading members of the ruling party about the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The remarks were made by Nupur Sharma, spokeswoman for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's hardline Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), during a TV debate in May. The head of the party's Delhi media unit, Naveen Kumar Jindal, shared a screenshot of her offensive comment in a tweet. Muslims have taken to the streets across India in recent weeks to protest against the anti-Islamic comments by the BJP leaders. Clashes have broken out between protesters and police in several areas. Police in Uttar Pradesh arrested more than 300 people in connection with the unrest. India's minority Muslim community sees the comments as the latest instance of pressure and humiliation under BJP rule on issues ranging from freedom of worship to the wearing of hijab head scarves. The BJP has suspended its spokeswoman Sharma and expelled Jindal after their comments caused a diplomatic row with several Muslim countries. Police have filed cases against the two and the government has said the comments do not reflect its views. Muslim groups have demanded their arrest, while hardline Hindu groups label them as brave and nationalist politicians. Over the weekend the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh state, Yogi Adityanath, ordered officials to demolish any illegal establishments and homes of people accused of involvement in riots there last week, the BJP's state spokesperson said. The house of an alleged mastermind of the riots, whose daughter is a female Muslim rights activist, was demolished amid a heavy police presence on Sunday. Properties of two more people accused of throwing stones after Friday prayers were also demolished in the state. Mrityunjay Kumar, Adityanath's media adviser, tweeted a photo of a bulldozer demolishing a building and said, "Unruly elements remember, every Friday is followed by a Saturday." Opposition leaders said Adityanath's government was pursuing an unconstitutional method to silence protesters. On Sunday, Jindal said his family faced continuous threats and some of his followers said a crude bomb was defused near his residence in capital New Delhi. Prime Minister Modi has so far not commented on the communal unrest. In the eastern state of West Bengal, authorities enforced an emergency law prohibiting public gatherings in the industrial district of Howrah until June 16. BJP's West Bengal president on Sunday staged a sit-in protest and accused neighboring Bangladesh, a mainly Muslim nation, of inciting violence in the state. On Friday, two teenagers were killed when police opened fire to break up protesters in the city of Ranchi in Jharkhand state but it was not clear if the two victims were killed by the police or by zealots. Senior police official Surendra Kumar Jha said at least 14 police officials were injured in the incident in Ranchi and other areas. A curfew was imposed and Internet services suspended to stop the unrest escalating. Last week countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Iran -- which are key trade partners of India -- lodged diplomatic protests to demand an apology from Modi's government for the comments. Amid the demolition drive in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Sunday targeted the Yogi Adityanath-led government, asking if the state has exempted itself from the Constitution of India. The senior party leader took to and shared a video of Afreen Fatima, former students' union president at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU), in which the girl said that the police have detained her family members and threatened to destroy her house. "Shocked to receive this from JNU with the update that the family's home has been demolished," Tharoor said in his tweet. The Thiruvananthapuram MP further said, "Due process of law is fundamental to democracy. Under what law and following what process has this been done? Has UP exempted itself from the Constitution of India?" — Agencies
