Muslim cleric arrested for calling for beheading of sacked ruling party spokesperson in India

Shrine officials from Ajmer dargah have condemned cleric and distanced themselves from video

A Muslim cleric from Rajasthan in northern India has been arrested after he allegedly offered his house to anyone who would behead Nupur Sharma, the spokesperson of the ruling right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who made derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad.

Police said that they had been looking for Salman Chishti, a cleric from Ajmer Dargah, or shrine, in Rajasthan since Monday night. They had filed a case against him after a video of him was circulated on social media.

Police allege that he was heard saying on video that he would have shot the former BJP spokesperson for insulting the prophet. “You have to give a reply to all Muslim countries. I am saying this from Ajmer, Rajasthan, and this message is from Huzur Khwaja Baba ka Darbar,” he allegedly said.

However, the Ajmer Dargah, or shrine, has distanced itself from the cleric and condemned the video. The Muslim shrine’s officials said it was a place of communal harmony.

Meanwhile, some local news reports have also raised doubts about the veracity of the video.

Ms Sharma’s comments had put the country at the centre of a diplomatic storm after more than a dozen west Asian countries issued statements of condemnation, leading to her suspension from the BJP.

There have also been protests in different parts of India, neighbouring Pakistan and Bangladesh against Ms Sharma’s statements, demanding action against her.

Violent clashes were reported in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur city, which left several people, including police officers injured.

On 28 June, a Hindu tailor was brutally beheaded in Rajasthan’s Udaipur city by two cleaver-wielding Muslim men in a religious killing that sparked communal tension in surrounding areas. The victim had allegedly shared a social media post supporting Ms Sharma.

Ms Sharma had made the derogatory comments about the prophet and his wife while appearing in a debate over the contentious issue of the 17th century Gyanvapi Mosque. that Hindu nationalist organisations allege was built following the destruction of a temple dedicated to Hindu deity Shiva.

She is a familiar face on Indian television news debate shows, known to host debates on inflammatory topics.

To control the fallout, BJP suspended Ms Sharma but stopped short of apologising, only saying that the party “strongly denounces insults of any religious personalities”.