Hundreds of Dhaka University (DU) students staged demonstration on the campus on Friday in protest against derogatory remarks made by an Indian priest about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and endorsement of the remarks by a BJP leader.
After the Juma prayers, the protesters in groups from all residential halls marched through various points on the campus and later gathered at Bot Tola in front of Aparajeya Bangla.
During the protest procession, they chanted slogans such as 'Muslims will not tolerate insults to the Prophet' and 'Beware of the enemies of the Prophet' resonating throughout the campus.
Outrageous, one of the protesting students said, "A Hindu priest has insulted the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in India.
Furthermore, a leader from the ruling BJP has supported these remarks. Such statements have hurt the religious sentiments of the Muslim community. As Muslims, our hearts are bleeding. The Indian government must apologise for this immediately."
They demanded measures to prevent such unpleasant incidents from occurring again and exemplary punishment of the alleged individuals.
"Derogatory remarks or insulting statements about the Prophet (PBUH) are extremely sensitive and objectionable to followers of Islam. When such comments are propagated in India or elsewhere, they create deep anger and wounds within the Muslim community.
The Indian government must apologise for this, and the offending priest must be arrested and given exemplary punishment," said another DU student.
In August, a Hindu priest named Ramgiri Maharaj from Maharashtra allegedly made derogatory remarks about the Prophet (PBUH).
He was supported by BJP MLA Nitesh Narayan Rane.
Although a case was filed against them, the state government is yet to arrest them. This has angered the Muslim community in Maharashtra, and Muslims around the world have protested against this issue. Protests have also taken place in Bangladesh and various other locations.
