Maha Cops Say Suspended BJP Leader Nupur Sharma Untraceable; Where Is She?

Suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma is untraceable, days after police charges were filed against her in numerous states for statements she made on a TV news programme about Prophet Muhammad. Based on a complaint by Irfan Sheikh, the joint secretary of a Muslim organisation, Raza Academy, the Mumbai Police filed a case against Nupur Sharma, a Delhi resident, on May 28.

According to sources, a Mumbai police team that was in Delhi to interrogate Nupur Sharma was unable to locate her. They claimed she had become untraceable. According to Maharashtra Home Ministry sources, the Mumbai Police have sufficient evidence to arrest the former BJP spokesperson.

Nupur Sharma had previously received the summons via email. However, after she failed to show up, a police team travelled to Delhi to provide her with a hard copy of the report. The Mumbai Police team has been searching for Sharma in the national capital for the past five days.

Sharma also faces a first information report (FIR) lodged by the Kolkata Police Department in response to a complaint by Trinamool Congress minority cell general secretary Abul Sohail. She has been summoned by the Kolkata Police to give a statement on June 20. The Delhi Police have also filed an FIR against Sharma for her remarks on Prophet Mohammad.

Suggested Reading: Prophet Row: Kolkata Police Summons Suspended BJP Lead Nupur Sharma

During a TV debate on May 26 and on social media, former BJP leaders Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal made controversial statements about Prophet Mohammed. Both politicians' words sparked outrage and formal protests in India and at least 15 countries, including Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Several Gulf countries summoned Indian envoys to express their displeasure over what they described as "anti-Islamic comments" made by BJP spokespersons.

The government was quick to disassociate itself from the comments made by the party officials, claiming that they were made by "fringe elements". Moreover, the party officials also suspended the two leaders

Meanwhile, 357 people were arrested on Thursday in Uttar Pradesh in connection with the violence that occurred on June 10 in response to Nupur Sharma and Naveen Kumar Jindal's controversial remarks about Prophet Muhammad.