At least 1,324 Muslims have been booked in 21 cases across India after a controversy erupted about banners saying “I Love Muhammad” at Muslim religious processions, a civil rights collective said.

Thirty-eight Muslims have been arrested in these cases, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights said on Wednesday.

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

Kanpur Deputy Commissioner of Police Dinesh Tripathi was quoted as saying by India Today that government rules prohibit introducing new customs into religious processions. The police on September 9 went on to file cases against

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