Indian officials step up arrests, demolish houses to stop unrest over anti-Islam remarks

Supporters of the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), a religious and political party, gather as an effigy depicting suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokeswoman Nupur Sharma is carried during a protest against the comments on Prophet Mohammed, in Karachi, Pakistan June 10, 2022. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro

SRINAGAR/KOLKATA, India (Reuters) -Authorities in India's Uttar Pradesh state have demolished the homes of several people accused of involvement in riots last week triggered by derogatory remarks made by ruling party figures about Islam's Prophet Mohammad, officials said on Sunday.

In Indian Kashmir, police arrested a youth for posting a video threatening to behead the ruling party's former spokeswoman who had made some of the remarks, officials said. The video, circulated on YouTube, has been withdrawn by authorities.