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Security up after al-Qaeda warns of attacks amid row over Prophet remarks
An official of the ministry of home affairs said the intelligence agencies were checking the authenticity of the threats.
India has tightened public security after terror outfit al-Qaeda in the Sub-continent (AQIS) threatened to carry out attacks in Delhi, Mumbai, Uttar Pradesh over remarks made by former spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammed, officials aware of the matter said on Wednesday.
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An official of the ministry of home affairs said the intelligence agencies were checking the authenticity of the threats.
“We have also ordered state police to ensure public gatherings or protests are not allowed as they could be targeted,” news agency Reuters quoted a senior home ministry official as saying on condition of anonymity.
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The government has maintained that the controversial views belong to a few fringe elements only and do not represent those of the government of India. It also “categorically rejected” the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) statement slamming India as “unwarranted and narrow-minded”. Earlier, the BJP suspended spokesperson Nupur Sharma and expelled media in-charge, Naveen Jindal, over the remarks.
