Nationwide crackdown on ‘I Love Muhammad’ banners: 21 FIRs, over 1,300 Muslims booked, says APCR
New Delhi: What began as a local case in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, has grown into a nationwide crackdown on banners reading “I Love Muhammad.” According to the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), police across states have registered 21 FIRs and named 1,324 Muslims, with 38 arrests made so far.
The first case emerged during a Barawafat procession in Kanpur. Similar campaigns soon spread to other states, triggering fresh cases. Uttar Pradesh remains the focal point, with 16 FIRs and over 1,000 accused in districts such as Unnao, Baghpat, Kaiserganj, Shahjahanpur, and Kaushambi.
Beyond UP, Uttarakhand’s Kashipur recorded one of the largest single FIRs, booking 401 people and arresting seven. Gujarat reported cases in Godhra (88 accused, 17 arrests) and Baroda (1 accused, 1 arrest), while Maharashtra’s Byculla registered one case involving a single arrest. APCR noted that these figures are accurate as of September 23.
Civil rights groups allege the police response is disproportionate and discriminatory. “Targeting people for expressing devotion to the Prophet is a violation of fundamental rights. Peaceful religious expression should not be treated as a crime,” said Nadeem Khan, APCR’s national secretary.
Lawyers representing the accused have also raised concerns about legality. “There is no legal basis to book people over banners or peaceful slogans. Such large-scale FIRs under the guise of law and order are excessive and biased,” said Mohammad Imran Khan, an APCR lawyer involved in the Kanpur case.
APCR has indicated that it will move the courts, either through a writ petition in the Supreme Court or by filing a Public Interest Litigation, to seek judicial scrutiny of the crackdown.
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Trump tells Fox News he's no longer sending Witkoff, Kushner to Pakistan for Iran talks
Islamabad (AP): President Donald Trump says he told top US envoys not to travel to Pakistan to negotiate with Iran, telling Fox News that "they can call us anytime they want.”
In a brief phone interview Saturday, Trump told Fox News that he told US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner “you're not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing.”
Trump also said of the US side “we have all the cards.”
His comments came after the White House said Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would be heading to Pakistan for another round of negotiations with Iran.
