LUCKNOW: Amid growing protests in Muslim nations over French President Emmanuel Macron’s comments on caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad, the Uttar Pradesh government has sounded an alert asking the law enforcement agencies to remain vigilant across the state.
As per reports, the state government has asked the intelligence agencies, police department, STF and Local Intelligence Units to keep an eye on religious gatherings across the state amid chances of protests erupting here over the French President’s comments.
The Yogi Adityanath government has issued specific instructions for religious gatherings, especially in the western parts of the state. The state’s Director General of Police has directed all top district police officers and headquarters to exchange and analyse intelligence inputs received from various central-state agencies and take timely action to prevent any untoward incident.
It may be noted that hundreds of protesters in major Muslim nations have been protesting and burnt effigies of the French President even as France made tremendous efforts to send a message of understanding to Muslims around the world and soothe the protests.
Islamist groups and hardliners around the Muslim world have rallied their supporters against the caricatures and the French government’s staunch secularist stance, keeping up protests over the last week targeting Macron.
Several European countries, including Britain, have raised their terror threat level to severe, following recent attacks in Austria and France. The threat level of severe is defined as an attack is considered highly likely. The level had previously been at substantial, meaning an attack is likely.