The protests against suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator T. Raja Singh’s objectionable remark against Prophet Muhammad continued, albeit intermittently, since they broke out late on Monday night, prompting the police to direct the closure of shops and business establishments in the Old City by 8 p.m. on Wednesday.
In no mood to take chances with the law and order situation in the city, police made announcements on public address systems in the evening. With dusk falling, police began to intensively patrol the streets and urged people to close their shops and go home. This exercise was seen in Moghalpura, near Volta Hotel, and Kotla Alijah, among many other places. By 8 p.m., a vast majority of shops were closed. Police barricades and pickets were put in place across the Old City.
Around 9.45 p.m., an incident of stone-pelting was witnessed in Shalibanda. This led to heavy barricading of the area. Even as protesters appeared in Shalibanda in phases throughout Wednesday, the police preventively detained over 100 men. The protests also prompted the uniformed men to create road diversions across the Old City.
