Prophet row: TVHP to hold sit-in in support of Nupur Sharma

Hyderabad: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Wednesday has announced a nationwide sit-in on June 16 in support of the suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her remarks on against Prophet Muhammad.

The nationwide protests will be held at the VHP's district headquarters' across the country.

Following the announcement, the Telangana VHP president in a press conference on Wednesday confirmed their participation in nationwide protests to be held on June 16.

State president M Ramaraju claimed that their protest is also against Muslims and alleged that the Shri Ram Navami celebration processions were attacked by extreme Islamic Jihadists at more than 100 locations in the country.

Defending Sharma on her blasphemous remarks, they said, "We feel what Nupur Sharma Ji has commented was not made out of her own but she repeated what many senior Islamic scholars have been saying since long."

Defending their protest in support of Sharma, he said that "the protests are a guise under which Hindus are being attacked".

"On the premise of or under the ruse of one thing or another, deadly aggressions, stone pelting, arson, and looting of Hindu homes and businesses have taken place and infinitum in Hindu culture. Assets belonging to the United States are being targeted and destroyed. These extremist Jihadi attacks have infuriated Hindu society," said Telangana VHP president M Ramaraju.

Calling the Hindu youth for a protest, he also alleged that "it's a pre-planned attack to play the victim card on one side and is a direct attack to kill and destroy Hindu lives and livelihoods on the other hand thereby is a way being paved for establishing Islamic domination in our country".

Ramaraju, in the press conference, said that a memorandum has also been submitted to President Ram Nath Kovind in response to recent "acts of violence in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Jammu & Kashmir, and other regions of the country over Sharma's anti-Muslim statements.

It is to mention here that this is not the first instance where the Hindutva 'activists' have come out in support of Sharma and justified the remarks made by her on Prophet Muhammad.

Hindutva 'activists' in Arrah, Bihar, also organised a sabha in support of Nupur Sharma.

In videos that surfaced from the event, the speakers can be heard inciting violence on those speaking against Sharma.

"We are more than 100 crores Hindu brothers. You cannot touch Nupur Sharma. If anything happens to her, then you will not be able to withstand 100 crore Hindus charging towards you," speaker was heard saying.