Lucknow: An Uttar Pradesh Minister yesterday repeated his announcement of reward for beheading the Danish cartoonist who caricatured Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) even as the state government maintained that there was no crime involved in the declaration.
Minister of State for Haj and Minorities Welfare Haji Yaqoob had on Friday declared a reward of Rs510m ($11.5m) while addressing a rally in Meerut, about 400 km from here, to protest against the caricatures published in a Danish newspaper and reproduced in several European newspapers.
When contacted, Yaqoob repeated his declaration and said: “Muslim women of Uttar Pradesh have decided to give away their jewellery to weigh in gold any one who beheads the cartoonist, while I would collect Rs510m and donate it to him.
“Our protest is against none other than the US that was solely responsible for masterminding a war against the Muslim world,” he said.
“The Indian government should sever all diplomatic ties with the US, and recall its ambassador,” Yaqoob said over phone.
Meanwhile, the state’s Principal Home Secretary Alok Sinha said Saturday: “Mere announcement of this kind does not amount to a crime.”
“Let me clarify that he did not make the announcement in his capacity as a minister.”
“Secondly, the reference is being made to something that has happened outside the geographical boundaries of India. Lastly, he was simply expressing the common feeling of members of his community,” Sinha said.
The home secretary also denied that such an announcement could cause communal tension.
“I am sure the minister has no intention of inciting communal passions and his statement is not intended to hurt the sentiments of any other community”, Sinha said.
“But, of course, I am aware that the issue is a sensitive one. We are taking due precautions to ensure maintenance of law and order”, he added.
In the state capital, most establishments owned by Muslims kept their shutters down as a mark of solidarity with the protesters in Meerut.
Meanwhile, traders in some areas of Hyderabad downed their shutters yesterday protesting the damage caused to some shops during a demonstration against the caricatures the previous day.
However, the situation remained peaceful in the city and no untoward incident was reported.
In Begumbazar, a busy commercial area, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took out a rally and some traders closed their business to demand action against those who had damaged the shops in the Charminar area.
The police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel kept a tight vigil in sensitive areas.
On Friday, at least 12 people were injured in stone throwing by demonstrators who ransacked 10 shops and damaged a dozen vehicles in six different areas in the city.
