UP man arrested in Shamli for writing ‘I love Muhammad’ on chest

Shamli: Police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested a man who wrote “I love Muhammad” on his chest and was seen waving the national flag in a video that later went viral on Instagram.

The man, identified as Dilshad from Kudana village in Shamli district, was taken into custody after a complaint was filed by a local resident, Nishikant. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Amardeep Maurya, the complainant alleged that Dilshad insulted Hinduism and used abusive language. “We are questioning him and looking into his motives,” Maurya told UP Tak.

The arrest comes against the backdrop of tensions triggered on September 4 in Kanpur, where Muslim participants in an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession carried a banner that read “I love Muhammad.” Hindu groups opposed the move, claiming it introduced a “new tradition.” Police cited rules against adding new customs to religious processions and booked 24 people for disturbing communal harmony.

The police action in Kanpur sparked protests in several districts of Uttar Pradesh and other states, with demonstrators carrying similar banners. Some protests turned violent, resulting in clashes with police and subsequent criminal cases.

In one such incident on Tuesday, Bareilly police shot and injured the district president of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) after he allegedly opened fire on officers who tried to arrest him in connection with the clashes. The IMC, a regional party led by cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan, has been at the forefront of the campaign.

Raza himself was arrested on Saturday and sent to 14-day judicial custody. Violence had erupted in Bareilly last week when a crowd carrying “I love Muhammad” posters clashed with police outside a mosque following the cancellation of a protest he had called. Authorities alleged Raza delivered provocative speeches that incited the unrest.

Since his arrest, officials in Bareilly have sealed and demolished several properties linked to his associates.