Overview

• Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah questioned how saying “I Love Muhammad” could be unlawful and pressed for swift judicial clarification.
• Kanpur police registered an FIR on September 9 naming nine people and 15 unidentified persons over boards displayed during a September 4 Barawafat procession.
• Hindu organisations objected to the displays as a provocative new trend, while AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi earlier argued the expression is not a crime.
• Police actions linked to the controversy have extended beyond Kanpur, with reports of arrests and public-order measures in multiple states, including parts of Uttar Pradesh.
• Local police have said cases relate to disturbing communal harmony and changes to procession routes rather than the words themselves, as reported by The Sunday Guardian, and former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti also criticized the crackdown.