India tightened public security on Wednesday after the circulation of a letter warning of militant attacks to avenge derogatory remarks about the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) by an official of the ruling Hindu nationalist party.
Several Indian media groups shared the June 6 letter attributed to al Qaeda’s branch in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS) in which threats were made to carry out suicide bombings in Indian states to defend, it said, the honour of the Prophet (PBUH).
A federal home ministry official said intelligence agencies were checking the authenticity of the threats issued by AQIS.
“We have also ordered state police to ensure public gatherings or protests are not allowed as they could be targeted by the militant group,” a senior home ministry official in New Delhi said.
The security threat surfaced days after a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) made comments about the Prophet Mohammad during a TV debate.
BJP spokeswoman Nupur Sharma’s remarks sparked uproar among Muslims in India and triggered diplomatic protests from Islamic countries demanding an apology from the Indian government.
Sharma has been suspended from the party while another spokesman, Naveen Kumar Jindal, was expelled over comments he made about Islam on social media.
