About a hundred Muslim youths organised into groups took to streets on Friday to protest the recent controversial statements made by leaders belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party, in Hyderabad.
Tension prevailed, and in isolated incidents, police even resorted to mild lathicharge, to disperse protesters.
The protesters carrying placards demanded the arrest of now-suspended leaders of the BJP – Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal, who allegedly made derogatory statements against Prophet Muhammed.
Slogans rent the air as the youth marched, soon after they completed offering the Friday prayers. They walked from Mecca Masjid towards Moghalpura. Similar protests were also carried out in police limits of Charminar, Kalapathar, Mehdipatnam and Chandrayangutta.
One protester was later taken into custody by the police as riot-like situation prevailed for some time.
Soon hundreds of police personnel and special units from Rapid Action Force occupied all the protest sites and gained control.
Charminar ACP G. Bhiksham Reddy said the protests were held for a brief time and the situation was brought to normalcy soon. There was no violence, he said.
