A total of 4,505 Muslims were booked and 265 arrested in 23 cities till October 7 after a controversy erupted last month about banners saying “I Love Muhammad” at Muslim religious processions, a civil rights group has said.

In a fact-finding report published on Friday, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights added that 45 first information reports had been filed in a span of 30 days.

The report also alleged disproportionate police action and administrative targeting of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly after clashes broke out in the district on September 26 in connection with the banners.

It added that 89 persons had been arrested in Bareilly as of October 8.

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 Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur. Hindu groups had objected to the banner, claiming that a “new tradition” was being introduced at the procession.

The police claimed that government rules prohibited introducing new customs into religious processions. On September 9, the police filed cases against 24 persons, of whom 15 were unidentified, for allegedly introducing a new custom during the procession and disturbing communal harmony.

However, the police action sparked protests and processions with “I love Muhammad” banners in several districts of Uttar Pradesh and other states. Clashes with the police broke out during some of the protests.

The report by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, titled ‘I Love Muhammad’ Demonstrations in Bareilly, focused on the district.

The unrest in Bareilly on September 26 reportedly followed the last-minute cancellation of a protest called by local Muslim cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan in support of the campaign. He said authorities had denied him permission for the demonstration.

Police alleged that Raza delivered speeches that provoked the crowd. He was arrested on September 27 and sent to 14-day judicial custody.

Following the unrest, a fact-finding team collected testimonies from impacted persons, lawyers and relatives of detainees, along with legal documents and news reports.

In the report, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights claimed that the protest on September 26 was met with lathi charge, mass arrests and property seizures carried out “arbitrarily” and “without due process”.

Authorities also demolished properties linked to persons accused of participating in the clashes, it said.

The civil rights group further claimed that the FIRs filed in Bareilly presented a “heavily skewed version of the events, depicting what was essentially a peaceful gathering as an unlawful and violent assembly”.

The FIRs repeatedly named Raza and other community members and included many “unknown” persons, “casting a wide net that fails to distinguish between peaceful participants, bystanders, and those allegedly involved in violence”, the report said.

“This broad-brush approach turns a constitutionally protected act of expression into a criminal offence for an entire community,” it added.

“Procedures relating to prior notice, lawful arrests, and due process were not followed, leading to violations of human rights and raising concerns about transparency and legality,” the report alleged. “Social and economic impacts extended citywide, with business loss, intimidation, and altered public movement patterns in the Muslim community.”

The findings indicated a pattern of “state action characterised by a lack of transparency, excess force, and breaches in standard legal procedure, primarily impacting the Muslims of Bareilly”, claimed the civil rights group.

It added: “There is credible testimony supporting claims of suppressing a religious minority, censorship of religious practice, and criminalisation by association.”

As of October 8, several properties remain sealed or demolished under municipal and encroachment laws, the report added.

The Association for Protection of Civil Rights urged the state government to facilitate dialogue between the Muslim community, local authorities and independent mediators to rebuild trust and ensure accountability.

It also called for the constitution of a committee to investigate the allegations of police crackdown on peaceful protesters and the following punitive action on community leaders, including seizure, sealing, and demolition of properties.

The National Human Rights Commission should also investigate the violations of human rights during arrests and crowd control, it said.

The report added that the state government should further initiate disciplinary action against police personnel who allegedly used excessive force against peaceful protesters, made illegal arrests and violated the right to legal aid of the arrested.

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