0
0
Amid growing protests in Muslim nations over French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments on caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad, the Uttar Pradesh government has sounded an alert asking the law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant across the state.
According to reports, the state government has asked the intelligence agencies, police department, STF and Local Intelligence Units to keep an eye on religious gatherings across the state amid chances of protests erupting here over the French President’s comments.
The Yogi Adityanath government has issued specific instructions for religious gatherings, especially in the western parts of the state. The state’s Director General of Police has directed all top district police officers and headquarters to exchange and analyse intelligence inputs received from various central-state agencies and take timely action to prevent any untoward incident.
It may be noted that hundreds of protesters in major Muslim nations have been protesting and burnt effigies of the French President even as France made tremendous efforts to send a message of understanding to Muslims around the world and soothe the protests.
The demonstrations, which followed anti-France protests across the Muslim world last week, came after President Macron’s interview late Saturday in which he said that he understood the shock Muslims felt at caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
Macron made these remarks while speaking to the Qatar-based Arabic TV station Al-Jazeera during which he also defended freedoms of expression and France’s secular values.
