Bhopal: Showing scant regard for COVID-19 safety guidelines, thousands of people staged a protest at Iqbal Maidan in the capital Bhopal on Thursday over the French President's 'Islamophobic' statement.
The police registered a case against two thousand people including MLA Arif Masood for flouting COVID-19 protocols.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh in a tweet said people disrupting law and order will be strictly dealt with.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently spoke of taking strict actions against Islamic fundamentalists. Demonstrations are continuing worldwide against Macron's statement. There were fierce protests against Macron in Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Sporadic protests were also seen in some places in India.
The protest in Bhopal was led by Congress MLA Arif Masood. At the demonstration, people raised slogans demanding President Macron to apologize.
No one will be spared - CM Shivraj Singh
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said in a tweet that 'Madhya Pradesh is an island of peace, we will deal strictly with those who disturb its peace. In this case, the action is being taken by registering a case under IPC 188. No one will be spared. No matter what it is. Apart from this, other BJP leaders have also expressed their displeasure.
BJP targeted Congress
The BJP launched an attack on the Congress after the demonstration led by Congress MLA. Several leaders including former Chief Minister Uma Bharti, BJP state president VD Sharma attacked the Congress and demanded Sonia Gandhi to take action against the MLA. Uma Bharti tweeted that the rally that took place in Bhopal was in support of terrorism and was an act of 'direct treason'.
BJP state president VD Sharma said that 'I want to ask Sonia Gandhi Ji and Kamal Nath Ji if they support the demonstration by Congress MLA Arif Masood from Bhopal Central against France and in support of terrorism'.
Meanwhile, the Congress distanced itself from the act. Congress media coordinator Narendra Saluja said that Arif Masood participated in the demonstration as the part of his religious faith. "If someone hurts any religious sentiments, he has the right to protest. Congress has nothing to do with this. BJP is misleading people on this issue. CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan should not make it a political issue," he said.
Why the controversy over Macron's statement
France is a country in Europe where Muslims constitute 10 per cent of the population. Most of them include people from other countries or colonies of France. France has been the target of terrorist organisations after the emergence of IS in Syria and Iraq. After several terrorist attacks, President Macron spoke of fighting Islamic terrorism and radicalism. In a recent interview, Macron described Islam as a crisis in religion, calling France's secularism paramount.
A few days ago, a teacher in France was beheaded for showing an objectionable cartoon of Prophet Mohammed in his class. After the incident, Macron spoke of taking strict action against radical forces. After this, many activists were detained in France and some NGOs were also closed.
India's Foreign Ministry has also condemned the verbal attacks on the French President, while some leaders have also expressed support to Macron.
Also Read: France's Macron vows to take new measures to fight terrorism
