Police have arrested 38 Muslims over peaceful display of devotion; rights groups accuse authorities of criminalising faith and violating fundamental rights
NEW DELHI – A nationwide police crackdown on Muslims displaying banners and posters reading ‘I Love Muhammad’ has triggered widespread anger and allegations of bias. According to the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), at least 21 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered across different states, naming 1,324 Muslims and leading to 38 arrests.
The campaign began in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, during Eid Milad-un Nabi procession earlier this month. Banners with the message ‘I Love Muhammad’ were displayed by participants. What started as a local matter has now spread across states, resulting in multiple police cases against Muslims.
Uttar Pradesh accounts for the bulk of the action, with 16 FIRs and more than cases booked against 1,000 Muslims. District-wise figures highlight the scale:
• Unnao: 8 FIRs, 85 accused, 5 arrested
• Baghpat: 150 accused, 2 arrested
• Kaiserganj: 355 accused
• Shahjahanpur: 200 accused
• Kaushambi: 24 accused, 3 arrested
Legal observers say these numbers point to selective targeting of the Muslim community.
In Kashipur, Uttarakhand, one FIR names 401 Muslims, with seven already arrested — the largest single case outside Uttar Pradesh. Gujarat has reported cases in Godhra and Vadodara: 88 accused in Godhra with 17 arrests, while in Vadodara one Muslim man was both named and arrested. In Maharashtra, Mumbai’s Byculla area saw one FIR with a single arrest.
Rights organisations argue that these actions criminalise peaceful religious expressions.
APCR National Secretary, Nadeem Khan, strongly condemned the clampdown. “Targeting Muslims for expressing their love and devotion to the Prophet Muhammad is a grave violation of fundamental rights. Peaceful religious expression should never be treated as a crime,” he said.
He added: “Devotion to faith has been criminalised. Peaceful demonstrations are being projected as a law-and-order problem, and Muslims are being collectively targeted.”
Lawyers also voiced concern. Advocate Mohammad Imran Khan, representing those accused in the Kanpur cases, told reporters: “There is no legal basis to criminalise banners or peaceful sloganeering. Registering FIRs against hundreds of people is an excessive measure that raises serious questions of bias and proportionality.”
APCR plans to approach the Supreme Court through a writ petition or Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking judicial intervention to halt what it describes as systematic harassment.
Human rights defenders warn that the continued crackdown could deepen mistrust between communities. Many Muslims fear that actions such as displaying religious banners or chanting devotional slogans are now being treated as criminal acts.
For the country’s Muslims, the controversy reflects a wider pattern of discrimination. As one community elder in Kanpur, who wished not to be named, said: “When we express our love for the Prophet, we are punished. This is not justice, this is bias.”
