Prophet remark row: who is 72-year-old Anwaruddin accused of mobilising Jama Masjid protest

A 72-year-old man was held for allegedly disrupting communal harmony and organising a protest without permission at the Jama Masjid area here recently against the controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad, police said on Wednesday.

Accused Anwaruddin, a resident of Matia Mahal in the Jama Masjid area, has been bound down under Section 41A (police may arrest without warrant) of the CrPC, police said.

Anwaruddin, who runs a motor shop in the area, has previously been involved in 10 criminal cases, including three related to riots, a senior police officer said.

He is accused of forcing shopkeepers in the area to shut shops in support of the protest held on June 10 at the Jama Masjid after the Friday prayers, police said.

According to the police, preliminary investigation has found that people were mobilised through messages on WhatsApp groups.

Protests had erupted outside the Jama Masjid on June 10 with hundreds of people demanding the arrest of now-removed BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and former head of the Delhi BJP's media unit Naveen Jindal.

The protesters, who had gathered at the popular mosque, carried placards and raised slogans against the duo over their remarks on the Prophet.