The Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday detained a man outside a mosque in Saharanpur for holding posters that said “I love Muhammad” during the congregational prayers.

The man was holding two posters, Aaj Tak reported. The police personnel present at the spot immediately apprehended him, showed videos of the incident posted on social media.

Senior Superintendent of Police Ashish Tiwari said that the man was being questioned and that his social media accounts were being screened.

“In view of Friday prayers, foot patrols were conducted starting at night to convey a message of safety to the general public,” Tiwari said. “Coordination was established with all religious leaders and discussions were held.”

About 1,500 police personnel were deployed at sensitive locations and crowded places in Saharanpur, the officer said. He added that the situation in the district was peaceful.

A civil rights collective said on Wednesday that at least 1,324 Muslims had been booked in 21 cases across the country after a controversy erupted about banners saying “I love Muhammad” at Muslim religious processions.

Thirty-eight Muslims have been arrested in these cases, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights had said.

The row began on September 4, when a group of Muslims held an “I love Muhammad” banner during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Hindu groups objected to the banner, claiming that a “new tradition” was being introduced at the procession.

Kanpur Deputy Commissioner of Police Dinesh Tripathi was quoted as saying by India Today on Monday that government rules prohibit introducing new customs into religious processions. The police on September 9 went on to file cases against 24 persons, of whom 15 were unidentified, for allegedly introducing a new custom during the procession and disturbing communal harmony.

The Kanpur Police maintained that no case was filed for putting up the banner itself, India Today reported. The cases were filed for placing the banner at a new location and for allegedly tearing another group’s posters, the police had said.

However, the police action sparked protests and processions with “I love Muhammad” banners in other districts of Uttar Pradesh and other states. Some of the protests led to clashes with the police, leading to cases being filed.

One case was also filed in Uttarakhand’s Kashipur. In this case alone, the police named 401 accused persons, and arrested seven.

Nadeem Khan, the national secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, said that targeting people for expressing their love and respect for the Prophet was a “gross violation of fundamental rights”, Maktoob Media reported. “Peaceful religious expression should never be criminalised,” Khan said.

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