Tension flared in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, when police used batons to disperse a crowd following reports of stone pelting after Friday prayers. The unrest is the latest flashpoint in a dispute sparked weeks ago over an “I Love Muhammad” poster.

 

According to officials, a large gathering assembled near Bareilly’s Islamia Ground after a call by Maulana Tauqeer Raza, chief of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, to demonstrate in support of the campaign. Similar protests have been witnessed across the country after a September 4 FIR in Kanpur against several people for installing a tent carrying the slogan.

 

Despite a heavy police presence, the crowd swelled after prayers and some participants allegedly shouted provocative slogans. When stones were thrown at security personnel, officers responded with a baton charge to break up the protest. Once the area cleared, shoes, slippers and stones were scattered across nearly 200 metres of the protest site. Authorities confirmed that twelve people have been arrested so far. Bareilly Inspector General Ajay Sahni said ten policemen were injured and added that weapons were recovered, calling the violence a “planned conspiracy.”

 

Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav criticised the police action, arguing that governance should be based on goodwill rather than force.

 

Similar incidents were reported in other parts of the state. In Mau, hundreds of people marched after Friday prayers and clashed with police when asked to disperse, prompting another baton charge. In Baghpat, officers registered cases against two named and around 150 unnamed individuals after a procession was stopped for lacking official permission.

 

The controversy began on September 4 during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Kanpur, when a lightboard bearing the words “I Love Muhammad” was placed on a roadside tent. Local Hindu groups objected, claiming the display was deliberately installed in a mixed neighbourhood known for Hindu festivals. Both communities accused each other of provocation, and the issue quickly spread on social media with the hashtag #ILoveMuhammad gaining traction.

 

Kanpur police later clarified that the FIR was related to the installation of the tent on the road rather than the slogan itself. Even so, the debate intensified, drawing comments from political leaders including AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who questioned why expressing love for the Prophet should be controversial.

 

The unrest has since extended beyond Uttar Pradesh. In Mumbai’s Malvani, clerics approached police earlier this week alleging discrimination over poster removals. In Gujarat’s Gandhinagar, a social media post triggered stone pelting and vandalism that damaged several shops and vehicles, leading to about sixty detentions. In Karnataka’s Davangere, posters with the same slogan appeared overnight and led to clashes between two groups. Additional reports of tension emerged from Unnao, Maharajganj, Lucknow and Kaushambi.