Akhara Parishad chief condemns 'I love Muhammad' posters in Haridwar

Haridwar, Sept 27 (PTI) The president of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, Mahant Ravindra Puri, on Saturday condemned 'I love Muhammad' posters coming up in parts of Haridwar.

"Everyone in this country is free to love those they worship. As Sanatanis, we also love Lord Shiva, Ram and Krishna. But we don't put up posters declaring that. It is wrong," Puri told reporters here.

He also claimed that it could be the handiwork of people trying to divide Hindus and Muslims as elections are near in some states.

"May be it is being done as elections are to be held in states like Bihar. They think by doing Hindu-Muslim, they would get some electoral benefit," he claimed.

Sources said 'I love Muhammad' posters have come up in the Jwalapur area of the town.

The genesis of the controversy dates back to September 9, when police in Kanpur filed an FIR against 24 persons for allegedly installing boards with 'I Love Muhammad' written on them during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession on September 4.

Some Hindu groups objected to it, calling it "deviation from tradition" and a "deliberate provocation". The controversy soon spread to several Uttar Pradesh districts and to states like Uttarakhand and Karnataka, sparking protests and police crackdowns.

The row also drew the attention of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who asserted that saying "I Love Muhammad" was not a crime. PTI COR ALM ARI