Two killed as protests against blasphemy flare up in India

PATNA: Indian police shot dead two protesters and arrested more than 130 during street rallies sparked by a hard-line ruling Bharatiya Janata Party official's blasphemous remarks about the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH), authorities said.

"Police were forced to open fire to disperse protesters... resulting in the death of two," a police officer in Ranchi said.

Officers said the crowd had defied their orders not to march from a mosque to a market and had thrown bottles and stones when police attempted to disperse the rally with a baton charge.

Authorities cut internet connections in the city and imposed a curfew, with local resident Shabnam Ara telling AFP the atmosphere remained tense on Saturday. "We are praying for peace and harmony," she said.

Police in Uttar Pradesh fired tear gas to disperse a rally while several demonstrations were staged across the northern Indian state. Demonstrators in some cities threw stones at police and injured at least one officer, said Avanish Awasthi, a senior government official. "We will take strict action against those indulging in stone pelting and violence," Awasthi told reporters. "Those working behind the scenes, instigating violence, will not be spared at all."

Prashant Kumar, a senior police officer in the state, said that up to "136 protesters" had been arrested from six districts around Uttar Pradesh. Cities around India saw demonstrations on Friday, with some crowds burning effigies of Nupur Sharma, the BJP spokeswoman whose comments set off the furore.

Authorities also cut internet services for the weekend in several districts near the eastern megacity of Kolkata, after protesters blocked a railway line and mobbed a police station.

In India and neighbouring countries, Muslims took to the streets in huge numbers after Friday prayers to condemn the remarks, with police firing on a crowd in the Indian city of Ranchi.