Communal Tensions Rise in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat Over Religious Expression and Islamophobic Content

Communal Tensions Rise in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat Over Religious Expression and Islamophobic Content
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Two separate incidents in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat have highlighted ongoing communal strains in India, as Muslims staged protests against what they see as unfair targeting of their faith while authorities responded with police action and arrests. The incidents were reported by Muslim Mirror and Clarion India news outlets.

In Lucknow, Muslim women led by activist Sumaiya Rana, daughter of poet Munawwar Rana, gathered outside the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Bhavan on September 20 carrying placards declaring “I Love Muhammad.” The protest came in response to a police case filed in Kanpur against more than two dozen individuals accused of disturbing communal harmony during Milad-un-Nabi celebrations. The FIR cited banners displaying the same phrase. Demonstrators argued that the police action was unconstitutional and discriminatory, insisting that expressing devotion to the Prophet Muhammad should not be criminalised. Police eventually detained the women but released them later at Eco Garden.

Meanwhile, in Gujarat’s Vadodara city, tensions flared after a viral social media post depicted images of Islam’s holiest sites—Makkah and Madinah—set against Hindu devotional music. The post was widely condemned as Islamophobic and sparked late-night protests in the Junigadhi area. Groups of Muslim youths gathered to demand action against the individual behind the post. Authorities deployed heavy police forces, erected barricades, and later detained around 50 people linked to alleged stone-pelting and rioting. Cases of rioting were registered, and police said the situation was brought under control though security remained tight.