21 FIRs, 38 Arrests, Over 1300 Booked For Displaying 'I Love Muhammad' Banners: Report
Police actions against the people carrying banners reading “I Love Muhammad” have turned into 21 FIRs, and over 1324 muslims have been booked, and 38 arrests so far, as per the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) report. Notably, the police action began in Kapur, Uttar Pradesh, after an initial case was lodged during an Eid-Milad ul Nabi procession commemorating the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad.
In response to the Kanpur case, protests, demonstrations, and “I Love Muhammad” campaigns spread to multiple states, prompting more arrests and a police crackdown.
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Uttar Pradesh has remained at the top with 16 FIRs and more than 1,000 accused across various districts, including Unnao (8 cases, 85 accused, 5 arrests), Baghpat (150 accused, 2 arrests), Kaiserganj (355 accused), Shahjahanpur (200 accused), and Kashambi (24 accused, 3 arrests).
Also, in Uttarakhand’s Kashipur, police registered one of the largest single cases involving 401 people accused and resulting in seven arrests. Gujarat reported cases in Godhra with 88 accused, 17 arrests, and Baroda with 1 accused and 1 arrest. Maharashtra Byculla registered one case with one charge and one arrest. The figure, APCR said, is accurate as of September 23.
Rights groups allege that the irrational police action, as expressing the love and respect for the Prophet Muhammad, is a fundamental right of Muslims, and peaceful religious expression should never be criminalised, said Nadeem Khan, national secretary of APCR, told Maktoob.
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The rapid filing of FIRs has triggered calls for judicial scrutiny with assertions that banners and peaceful slogans cannot constitute a cognizable offence.
Meanwhile, a counter-campaign has surfaced in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, where religious leaders marched with placards reading “I Love Mahadev”, describing it as a response to the provocation to disturb the communal harmony.
