India rushes to quell outrage after insulting remarks on Islam

FILE PHOTO: A man installs the symbol of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on a tent during an election campaign rally by the party in Prayagraj, India, February 24, 2022. REUTERS/Ritesh Shukla/File Photo

MUMBAI (Reuters) - India's government sought on Monday to calm anger at home and abroad after two officials of the ruling BJP party made remarks about the Prophet Mohammed, with 38 people arrested for rioting in a northern city and a protest planned later in Mumbai.

The arrests in the city of Kanpur were part of an effort to quell sporadic religious tension that arose after two officials from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party made remarks that have generated widespread anger among Muslims in India and overseas.