India’s “I Love Muhammad” Expression Triggers Nationwide Legal Crackdown

After the “I Love Muhammad” poster campaign, India has launched a sweeping crackdown targeting Muslim individuals — with thousands booked, hundreds arrested, and prosecutions under sedition and hate speech laws — fueling fears of religious repression across the country.

The recent “I Love Muhammad” poster campaign — intended by some participants as a symbolic assertion of religious identity — has provoked a broad and contentious law enforcement response from Indian authorities, particularly in Uttar Pradesh and other northern states, Al Jazeera reported. Prosecutions include serious charges such as sedition, hate speech, and incitement, raising alarm among civil society and minority rights groups.

According to Muslim Mirror, more than 4,000 Muslims have been booked in connection with the campaign, and over 200 arrested so far. Many of the charges stem from complaints of causing communal alarm, defamation, and disturbing public order. Authorities in several districts have also sealed properties, issued power theft notices, and filed claims of unauthorized use of public spaces against accused individuals.

The crackdown disproportionately affects Muslim youth, who had used social media and street posters as low-cost means of symbolic expression. NPR noted that authorities in states like Uttar Pradesh are invoking India’s colonial-era penal codes — particularly Section 124A (sedition) — and newly strengthened hate speech provisions to prosecute demonstrators. Some of those detained told reporters they were apprehended for merely posting or displaying “I Love Muhammad” posters in public areas.

Critics argue that the state is deploying heavy-handed tactics to criminalize religious identity and suppress dissent. Lawyers interviewed by Al Jazeera said that many of the charges, including sedition, carry penalties of life imprisonment. Observers have drawn parallels to “bulldozer politics” — a policy trend in which state authorities demolish properties belonging to Muslims accused of wrongdoing, bypassing due legal process.

In response, several Muslim organizations have called for the withdrawal of all cases and an end to punitive measures. They argue that the campaign was a peaceful affirmation of faith, not a provocation. Meanwhile, thousands of Muslims have taken to the streets in cities such as Delhi, Lucknow, and Hyderabad, demanding the release of those detained and condemning what they describe as selective targeting of minorities, NPR and Al Jazeera reported.

The crackdown underscores India’s increasing reliance on legal instruments to manage religious dissent. With hundreds now awaiting trial, rights advocates warn that the outcome may set a precedent for how the country balances faith-based expression with its constitutional guarantees of free speech.