Aligarh: Some mischievous elements wrote ‘I Love Muhammad’ on the walls of Hindu temples in Lodha area of Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh. The writing was done with spray paint or chalk, causing outrage among the local Hindu community. The incident created communal tension, but the situation was controlled due to the promptness of the police.
This writing was done on the night or early morning of 24 October 2025 on many temples including Bulaki Gadi village of Lodha area. ‘I Love Mohammed’ was written in big letters mainly on a major Shiva temple and Hanuman temple in Bulaki Gadi. All this was written in total 4-5 temples. This incident has been described as a ‘provocation’, which seems to be part of a conspiracy to disturb communal harmony.
According to local people and organizations, this was an attempt to spoil the atmosphere and spread tension. This appears to be part of the ‘I Love Mohammed’ campaign, which has become a cause of controversy in many districts of Uttar Pradesh (Bareilly, Kanpur, Moradabad, Farrukhabad etc.) from September-October 2025. In this campaign, slogans are raised through posters, banners or rangoli, due to which violence has erupted.
As soon as the information about the incident was received, a large number of workers under the leadership of Karni Sena’s National Vice President Gyanendra Chauhan reached Bulaki Gadi village. He inspected temples and protested along with the local Hindu community. Karni Sena demanded immediate arrest of the accused, strict action and security of temples. Hindu residents of the village called it a ‘religious insult’. Many women and elders reached the temples and sang bhajans and kirtans and appealed for peace. Some villagers said that this was the work of ‘mischievous elements from outside’ and not of the local Muslim community.
Police station Lodha immediately reached the village and explained to the local people. A meeting of the Peace Committee was called in the presence of SP City and Area Officer (CO). The police began erasing the writings from the temples, but some Hindu activists alleged that the police had hastily erased ‘I Love Mohammed’, destroying evidence.
At present 2-3 special teams have been formed. The search for the accused is going on through CCTV footage, mobile location and interrogation of nearby villages. SSP Aligarh said- The incident is serious, it will be unveiled in 48 hours. No communal color will be given. On the other hand, Karni Sena and local people accused the police of ‘softness’. It was said that the investigation was affected by erasing the handwriting.
However, the police clarified that this was done ‘for security’ so that tension does not spread. No FIR has been registered, but preparations are underway to register a case under IPC sections 153A (promoting communal disharmony) and 295A (hurting religious sentiments). PAC and RRF contingents were deployed in the village. Surveillance is being done through drones. No arrests have been made yet, but police claim that 2 suspects have been identified (outsider, name withheld).
Karni Sena warned that if action was not taken within 48 hours the agitation would intensify. The local Muslim community appealed for peace, saying it was the work of ‘some mischievous elements’ and not the entire community. In this whole matter, DSP Sanjeev Tomar says that slogans of I Love Mohammed have been found at four places and they have been kept under watch by the police to maintain peace and legal action will be taken in whatever complaint is received.