Communal clashes broke out in Kanpur on Friday after groups of people tried to force shopkeepers to down shutters in protest against BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her derogatory remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
18 people have been arrested so far under the Gangster Act, the police commissioner said, adding that the others are being identified from video footage and photographs. Their properties will also be seized, he added.
Several were injured after stones were pelted and vehicles damaged. ADG, Law and Order, Prashant Kumar said that the situation had been brought under control and additional forces had been deployed.
The police resorted to lathicharge to bring the situation under control.
Police in riot gear have been deployed to the area to restore normalcy. Three companies are in the area, trying to bring the situation under control.
In Maharashtra, two cases have been registered against BJP leader Nupur Sharma - in Thane and in south Mumbai - for allegedly hurting the religious sentiments of Muslims during a TV debate.
The leader has been charged under several sections of the Indian Penal Code for 'promoting enmity, outraging religious feelings', 'uttering words with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person', 'deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of a class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs', and other offences.
During a TV debate on the ongoing Gyanvapi row, Sharma is believed to have said that certain things from the religious books of the Muslims could be mocked by people, since they have been mocking the Hindu faith and calling the 'Shivling', claimed to have been found inside the mosque complex, a fountain.
Her comments led to massive outrage on social media. Sharma tweeted screenshots saying that she was getting rape threats and her family was getting death threats and tagged the Delhi Police.
Through a series of tweets, she blamed Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair for "inciting hatred against her".