Uttar Pradesh, the poster war: bulldozers against “I love Muhammad” signs

The campaign launched by Muslims during the festival celebrating the birth of the prophet has provoked a harsh reaction from the Indian authorities: over 1,300 reports and 38 arrests in four states, as well as several violent clashes. The BJP responded with posters celebrating the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, and his “bulldozer policy”, a symbol of selective demolitions against minorities.

Lucknow (AsiaNews) - For weeks, northern India has been embroiled in a ‘poster war’: at the beginning of the month, the Muslim community displayed signs reading ‘I love Muhammad’ to mark the feast celebrating the birth of the prophet.

A few days later, large posters appeared with messages such as ‘I love Yogi Adityanath’, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, and ‘I love bulldozers’, vehicles that have become a symbol of his policy: officially against illegal occupation, but often used to demolish houses and shops in Muslim neighbourhoods.

The posters were put up by Amit Tripathi, secretary general of the local branch of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the ultra-nationalist Hindu party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

For the Muslim population, this is a direct provocation: ‘It's not just a poster, it's a message telling us that the bulldozer is against us,’ commented Mohammad Salim, a trader in Lucknow. Human rights organisations and minority associations have often denounced the practice of selective demolitions.

The story began in Kanpur, where on 9 September, during a Barawafat procession, banners with the words ‘I love Muhammad’ were displayed. Hindu nationalist groups protested against the banners and nine people were subsequently arrested by the police.

The officers reported that the action was not directed at the content of the message, but at the fact that the posters had been placed in an area usually reserved for other communities.

However, the removal of the banners in Kanpur then triggered a national campaign: in various cities, Muslim communities displayed posters and stickers with the words “I love Muhammad”.

The Indian authorities responded with harsh repression: as of 24 September, 21 complaints (First Information Reports, FIR) had been filed in four states, involving 1,300 people and leading to 38 arrests.

On 26 September, tensions erupted in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, where hundreds of Muslim worshippers had gathered to deliver a memorandum to the authorities at the invitation of religious leader Tauqeer Raza Khan.

The police intervened with charges, several officers were injured and some vehicles were damaged. Eight people, including Khan, were arrested.

Clashes were also reported in the state of Uttarakhand: in Kashipur, a march with 400-500 participants turned violent after the police intervened. An independent investigation reported punitive demolitions, widespread checks and even the detention of minors.

Hindu groups launched campaigns with slogans such as “I love Mahadev” or “I love Mahakal”, in reference to Shiva. In Varanasi, “I love bulldozers” posters even appeared during the Ganga Aarti (the Hindu festival of thanksgiving to the goddess Ganga). In Lucknow, those put up by the BJP explicitly linked the bulldozer to the image of Yogi Adityanath.

The climate has thus become inflamed. Adityanath promised that ‘the rioters will remember the lesson for seven generations’. Amit Tripathi defended the choice: "The bulldozer represents action against the corrupt and those who break the law. There is nothing offensive about it: those who interpret it as an attack on Muslims are distorting the truth'. For Muslim leaders, however, the meaning is clear.

“If it were really a symbol of justice, the demolitions would not only take place in Muslim neighbourhoods,” replied Maulana Farhan Qasmi, imam of Lucknow.

The new wave of posters has revived the sense of fear among Muslim worshippers in Uttar Pradesh: ‘First they target our faith, then they tear down our homes, now our pain becomes political propaganda,’ said Abdul Rauf, an elder of the community.