Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday strongly criticised the lodging of FIR over ‘I love Muhammad’ posters in Kanpur. He said how can three simple words be deemed unlawful and urged the courts to act swiftly.
The controversy stems from an incident on September 9 where Kanpur police registered an FIR against nine named and 15 unidentified persons. They were booked for allegedly putting up boards reading ‘I love Muhammad’ on a public road on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi on September 4.
Hindu organisations objected to the posters, saying it was a “new trend” and claimed it was a deliberate provocation.
Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah asked why anyone is objecting to this, highlighting that people from other religions also write for their figures and Gods.
#WATCH | Srinagar: On ‘I Love Muhammad’ row, J&K CM Omar Abdullah says, “Why is anyone objecting to this? Who can object to writing these three words? I cannot understand how these three words can be the cause of arrests. Only someone mentally unwell can make a case out of these… pic.twitter.com/rrz8d2fx5g
— ANI (@ANI) September 24, 2025
“Why is anyone objecting to this? Who can object to writing these three words? I cannot understand how these three words can be the cause of arrests,” Abdullah said.
“Only someone mentally unwell can make a case out of these three words. I would like the courts to set this in order. How is writing ‘I Love Muhammad’ unlawful?… Do other religions not write for their religious figures and Gods?…So, if that is not unlawful, how is this?” he questioned.
Don’t our Sikh brothers and sisters write about their gurus? Don’t our Hindu brothers and sisters write about their various gods? They do. Go anywhere outside Jammu and Kashmir, and you will hardly find a vehicle without a picture of a deity. If that is not unlawful, then how is this?” he asked.
Earlier, Hyderabad MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi posted on social media that expressing “I Love Muhammad” was not a crime, which drew national attention to the issue.
