Overview

• Police in Gujarat detained about 60 people after late-night stone pelting and vandalism linked to a social media post on the trend, with shops and vehicles damaged, while Davanagere police in Karnataka removed a banner and said the situation was brought under control.
• An online and street-level counter-campaign with ‘I Love Mahadev’ is expanding, with posts from Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane and rallies in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi led by Jagadguru Shankaracharya Narendrananda.
• The dispute stems from Kanpur, where police filed an FIR on September 9 against 24 people, alleging a ‘new custom’ and disturbance to communal harmony after ‘I Love Mohammad’ banners were displayed during a Barawafat procession.
• Kanpur authorities defended removing banners for lack of permission and traffic obstruction, even as initial detentions and confrontations were reported when police acted to take them down.
• Political and community reactions have widened, with Omar Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti and Asaduddin Owaisi criticizing the FIRs, a BJP spokesperson arguing road displays are inappropriate, Mumbai clerics petitioning police, and UP Police issuing an advisory to watch potential flashpoints.