JAKARTA - Police have arrested a young man in Kashmir, India, for posting a video threatening to behead a former spokesman for the BJP party who had made derogatory comments about the Prophet Muhammad.
"The video circulating on YouTube has been withdrawn by the authorities," the official said. The move was taken as one of the efforts to quell the widespread unrest in the country.
Muslims have taken to the streets to protest anti-Islam comments by two members of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Hindu nationalist party that supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Earlier this month, the BJP deactivated spokesman Nupur Sharma and fired another top party leader, Naveen Kumar Jindal, for their controversial comments about the personal life of the Prophet Muhammad. Police have filed charges against the two former BJP officials.
The two men's comments have also drawn the ire of a number of Muslim countries, creating a huge diplomatic challenge to Modi's government.
Countries such as Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Oman, Iran – India's main trading partners – have protested through their diplomatic representatives and used social media to demand an apology from the Indian government.
India's foreign ministry said last week that tweets and comments on social media did not reflect the government's views. Clashes sparked by the insulting comments are rife across India.
Some in the minority Muslim community saw the comments as the latest example of the BJP government's pressure and humiliation on issues ranging from freedom of worship to wearing the hijab.
Two teenagers were killed when protesters clashed with police in the city of Ranchi last week.
Sporadic riots in Uttar Pradesh state forced police to arrest more than 300 people.
In West Bengal state, authorities used emergency laws to bar people from gathering in public spaces in the Howrah industrial district until June 16.
At least 70 people were arrested on charges of being involved in rioting and disturbing public order. Internet services were shut down for more than 48 hours after the violence in the community.
BJP leaders have issued orders to some senior members to be "extremely careful" when talking about religion in public spaces and the government continues to tighten public safety.
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