Muslims unleash chaos alleging FIR on putting up ‘I love Muhammad’ banner in Kanpur, conveniently hide the fact that they destroyed Hindu religious posters: Details
A significant controversy has emerged following the alleged removal of an “I Love Muhammad” banner in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. The members of the Muslim community have launched agitations in multiple regions across the country, from Bihar to Hyderabad. The incidents have even led to violence in Godhra, where extremists have vandalised a police station. Furthermore, an organised campaign is taking place on social media with Muslim youths disseminating posts under the hashtag ‘I Love Muhammad.’ The occurrence has been labelled as an “insult to the Prophet” of Islam and is cited as the reason behind the protests in the nation. The authorities have initiated legal proceedings against approximately twelve young men related to the unrest. Meanwhile, attempts have been made to convey that the dispute revolves exclusively around the “I Love Muhammad” poster. What is the truth While a disagreement arose regarding the installation of an “I Love Muhammad” poster, the complete narrative extends beyond this row. The official complaint disclosed that the conflict commenced on 4th September when the Muslim community set up an “I Love Muhammad” light board in front of Zafar Wali Gali within the Syed Nagar area of the Rawatpur police station for an event. OpIndia has a copy of the FIR submitted by the police and it revealed, “This had never occurred before and it was a new tradition initiated by the organizers of the Muslim community’s Barawafat program.” Barawafat denotes the observance of both the birth and the death of Prophet Muhammad which occurs in the third month of the Islamic calendar. Local residents expressed their discontent in relation to the development which resulted in a confrontation between the opposing sides. The cops intervened by removing the board and relocating it to a different site. The issue was resolved. The FIR explicitly mentioned that the board remained in place when the resolution was reached. However, the conflict commenced on 5th September coinciding with the scheduled Barawafat procession. “During the procession, certain unidentified Muslim youths who were in a vehicle participating in the event, intentionally used sticks to destroy the religious posters belonging to the Hindu community that had been placed along the road in the Hindu locality of the Rawatpur village with the aim to create communal disturbance,” highlighted the FIR. On 10th September the authorities also acquired CCTV footage pertaining to the instance. The FIR indicated, “The CCTV recording clearly showed that on the day of the incident, the young individuals from the Muslim community who participated in the event, deliberately engaged in such actions with the intention of disrupting the communal harmony and inciting chaos as well as communal discord in the region.” Image via OpIndia Hindi This matter is not limited to the “I Love Muhammad” poster, which represents only a fraction of the issue. The core matter is related to the destruction of Hindu religious posters at the hands of the Muslims. In an interview with OpIndia, Krishna Mishra, the Station House Officer of Rawatpur police station, verified that the FIR was not filed for the display of the “I Love Muhammad” poster. He stated that the accused implicated in the case tried to undermine communal harmony. Therefore, it has been clarified that the FIR was not lodged because of the reason prompting Muslims to protest across the nation. However, the reality is being obscured and half-truths have been circulated to escalate the controversy in the name of these demonstrations. Given the violence that has erupted in Gujarat, it is crucial to be more vigilant regarding such protests in the future.
A significant controversy has emerged following the alleged removal of an “I Love Muhammad” banner in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. The members of the Muslim community have launched agitations in multiple regions across the country, from Bihar to Hyderabad. The incidents have even led to violence in Godhra, where extremists have vandalised a police station.
Furthermore, an organised campaign is taking place on social media with Muslim youths disseminating posts under the hashtag ‘I Love Muhammad.’ The occurrence has been labelled as an “insult to the Prophet” of Islam and is cited as the reason behind the protests in the nation.
The authorities have initiated legal proceedings against approximately twelve young men related to the unrest. Meanwhile, attempts have been made to convey that the dispute revolves exclusively around the “I Love Muhammad” poster.
What is the truth
While a disagreement arose regarding the installation of an “I Love Muhammad” poster, the complete narrative extends beyond this row. The official complaint disclosed that the conflict commenced on 4th September when the Muslim community set up an “I Love Muhammad” light board in front of Zafar Wali Gali within the Syed Nagar area of the Rawatpur police station for an event.
OpIndia has a copy of the FIR submitted by the police and it revealed, “This had never occurred before and it was a new tradition initiated by the organizers of the Muslim community’s Barawafat program.” Barawafat denotes the observance of both the birth and the death of Prophet Muhammad which occurs in the third month of the Islamic calendar.
Local residents expressed their discontent in relation to the development which resulted in a confrontation between the opposing sides. The cops intervened by removing the board and relocating it to a different site. The issue was resolved. The FIR explicitly mentioned that the board remained in place when the resolution was reached.
However, the conflict commenced on 5th September coinciding with the scheduled Barawafat procession. “During the procession, certain unidentified Muslim youths who were in a vehicle participating in the event, intentionally used sticks to destroy the religious posters belonging to the Hindu community that had been placed along the road in the Hindu locality of the Rawatpur village with the aim to create communal disturbance,” highlighted the FIR.
On 10th September the authorities also acquired CCTV footage pertaining to the instance. The FIR indicated, “The CCTV recording clearly showed that on the day of the incident, the young individuals from the Muslim community who participated in the event, deliberately engaged in such actions with the intention of disrupting the communal harmony and inciting chaos as well as communal discord in the region.”
This matter is not limited to the “I Love Muhammad” poster, which represents only a fraction of the issue. The core matter is related to the destruction of Hindu religious posters at the hands of the Muslims. In an interview with OpIndia, Krishna Mishra, the Station House Officer of Rawatpur police station, verified that the FIR was not filed for the display of the “I Love Muhammad” poster. He stated that the accused implicated in the case tried to undermine communal harmony.
Therefore, it has been clarified that the FIR was not lodged because of the reason prompting Muslims to protest across the nation. However, the reality is being obscured and half-truths have been circulated to escalate the controversy in the name of these demonstrations. Given the violence that has erupted in Gujarat, it is crucial to be more vigilant regarding such protests in the future.
