Police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested four Hindutva extremists, Zeeshanth Singh, Akash Saraswat, Dilip Sharma, and Abhishek Saraswat for spraying “I love Muhammad” on temple walls in Aligarh to create anti-Muslim propaganda in the city.
The suspects painted the sentence on several temples earlier this week, triggering outrage and unrest in the area. Police revealed that the group carried out the act to frame Muslim community members amid an ongoing land dispute.
Police have charged the men under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity and disturbing public peace.
“The investigation found that the graffiti was not a communal act but a deliberate attempt to implicate others due to a land-related rivalry,” Indian media quoted Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun as saying.
He added that an earlier case filed against Muslim men in connection with the graffiti would now be withdrawn following the new findings.
The arrests came just days after Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq claimed the incident was part of a “well-thought-out conspiracy” to ignite communal discord.
“If an impartial investigation is conducted, it will be clear that no Muslim person was involved in this act,” Barq had said.