Over 2,500 Muslims have been charged with “public order” offences in India for openly expressing their love of the Prophet Muhammed. During the last month, Indian police have reportedly raided homes and public spaces to arrest Muslim men suspected of writing “I Love Muhammed” on posters, t-shirts and social media. Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s Hindu Nationalist party launched the blitz of prosecutions, which has seen some perpetrators’ homes bulldozed, to the end of clamping down on threats against “public order”.
At least 22 cases have been brought against over 2,500 Muslims in the South Asian country, with at least 40 arrested across states governed by the Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the non-profit Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) said. The slew of arrests was sparked by the erection of an illuminated board paying tribute to Muhammed while Muslims were observing Eid al-Milad al-Nabi, the celebration of his birth, in the city of Kanpur on September 4. Dozens were pursued on charges of promoting enmity on the grounds of religion in the historic region, an offence which carries a sentence of up to five years in jail.
