UP: Akash, Dilip, Abhishek among four arrested for writing ‘I love Muhammad’ on temples
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Aligarh: The Uttar Pradesh Police have arrested four men for allegedly writing “I love Mohammad” on the walls of several temples in Aligarh to falsely implicate others in a land dispute case.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun told reporters that the arrested men have been identified as Zeeshanth Singh, Akash Saraswat, Dilip Sharma, and Abhishek Saraswat. A search is on for another accused named Rahul.
According to the SSP, the investigation revealed that the graffiti was not a communal act but a deliberate attempt to frame others due to an ongoing land rivalry. “The investigation found that the graffiti was not a communal act but a deliberate attempt to implicate others due to a land-related rivalry,” Jadaun said, as quoted by India Today.
The slogans were discovered on temple walls in Bhagwanpur and Bulkgarhi villages under Lodha police station limits last week. Following this, a case was initially filed against eight persons — Mustaqeem, Gul Mohammad, Sulaiman, Sonu, Allahbaksh, Hameed, and Yousuf.
However, police later noticed spelling errors in all the slogans, which raised suspicion. “This mistake was found in every slogan. After examining all these facts and old case records, the police made this discovery,” Jadaun said.
Further investigation revealed that the matter was linked to a land dispute dating back to 2024 between the families of Gul Mohammad and a man named Mukesh. A case had been registered earlier, and a chargesheet was filed against 15 people in that case.
In September this year, another altercation took place between Mustaqeem and Zeeshanth Singh over a similar issue, following which Singh filed a complaint against Mustaqeem and others.
“These four men intended to ensure a verdict against Mustaqeem in the case,” Jadaun said. He added that they wrote the slogans on temple walls to provoke immediate police action against their rivals.
The SSP confirmed that the earlier case registered against the eight persons would now be withdrawn.
The arrested men have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) related to promoting enmity and disturbing public peace.
The incident comes against the backdrop of a larger controversy that began on September 4, when a group of Muslims carried an “I love Muhammad” banner during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Kanpur. Hindu groups had objected, saying a “new tradition” was being introduced.
Police had stated that government rules prohibit introducing new customs into religious processions. Later, on September 9, cases were filed against 24 persons — including 15 unidentified for allegedly disturbing communal harmony by introducing new customs.
That action had triggered protests and processions with “I love Muhammad” banners across several districts in Uttar Pradesh and other states, some of which turned violent and led to further police cases.
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Chief selector Ajit Agarkar's contract renewed till next year
New Delhi (PTI): Ajit Agarkar will continue as chairman of the senior selection committee after the BCCI decided to renew his contract for one more year, keeping an eye on the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Under Agarkar's chairmanship, the selected Indian teams between October 2023 to March 2026 reached four ICC tournament finals, winning three of them -- two T20 World Cups and one ICC Champions Trophy -- and it was a foregone conclusion that his contract will be renewed for fourth year.
"Agarkar didn't seek extension. A selector can continue up to four years in either junior or senior selection committee and five years cumulatively across both committees. Hence Ajit's contract is being renewed and not extended," a senior BCCI source told PTI.
Sources close to Agarkar always maintained that he preferred to let the decision-makers assess his panel's performance rather than seek a renewal himself.
Continuity ahead of the 50-over World Cup is one of the key factors behind the board's decision.
During his tenure, the committee has taken several tough calls, including overseeing the Test retirements of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, and gradually phasing out senior pacer Mohammed Shami from international cricket.
It also made a bold selection call, dropping Test and ODI skipper Shubman Gill from the T20 World Cup squad and instead fielding a form player in Ishan Kishan.
