Uttar Pradesh police have arrested four men — Zeeshanth Singh, Akash Saraswat, Dilip Sharma and Abhishek Saraswat — for allegedly writing “I love Mohammad” on the walls of several temples in Aligarh to create communal tension in the city. Investigations revealed that the act was carried out to frame members of another community amid an ongoing land dispute.
According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, the accused belong to the Hindu community and conspired to defame people from another community. “The investigation found that the graffiti was not a communal act but a deliberate attempt to implicate others due to a land-related rivalry,” Jadaun said.
Police said the four accused sprayed the slogan on multiple temples in the area earlier this week, sparking outrage and tension. After examining CCTV footage and conducting interrogations, investigators linked the act to a dispute between two local groups.
SSP Jadaun added that an earlier case registered against members of the other community, based on the graffiti incident, will now be withdrawn in light of the new findings.
The incident had drawn political reactions soon after it came to light. On October 25, Samajwadi Party leader Zia Ur Rehman Barq had alleged that the graffiti was part of a “well-thought-out conspiracy” aimed at creating communal discord. “If an impartial investigation is conducted, it will be clear that no Muslim person was involved in this act,” Barq had said.
Police have booked the four arrested men under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code for promoting enmity and disturbing public peace. They remain in custody as further investigation continues.
