'Someone must be mentally unwell...': Omar Abdullah slams FIRs in 'I Love Muhammad' row

Omar Abdullah

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday slammed the FIRs filed in the "I Love Muhammad" case and defended the right to express love for Prophet Muhammad.

Abdullah questioned how three simple words could possibly be called unlawful and urged the courts to act swiftly for justice.

The "I love Muhammad" controversy began on September 9 when the police in Kanpur filed an FIR against nine named, as well as 15 unnamed people, for allegedly putting up boards that read the phrase "I Love Muhammad". This happened during an Eid Milad-un-Nabi procession on a public road on September 4.

Several Hindu organisations claimed it was deliberate provocation and called it a "new trend". The issue had started in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur but it has now gained national attention - shortly after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi said that expressing "I Love Muhammad" wasn't a crime.

While reacting to the FIR, Omar Abdullah said someone must be truly mentally unwell to file a case over these three words and urged courts to quickly set the situation right with the correct judgement.

“Why should anyone object to writing this? Who can have an issue with these three words? I cannot understand how writing these three words can lead to an arrest. It must mean someone is truly mentally unwell to file a case over these three words. I would like the courts to quickly set this right. How is writing ‘I Love Muhammad’ unlawful?” Omar told reporters, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.

“Even if you link it to a religion, what is wrong with it? Don’t followers of other religions write about their deities? Don’t our Sikh brothers and sisters write about their gurus? Don’t our Hindu brothers and sisters write about their various gods? They do. Go anywhere outside Jammu and Kashmir, and you will hardly find a vehicle without a picture of a deity. If that is not unlawful, then how is this?” Omar further asked.

BJP National Spokesperson Dr Syed Zafar Islam reacted to Omar Abdullah's statement over the FIRs and said, "...Your faith is one thing, but displaying it openly on the road in this manner is inappropriate. The Constitution grants you the right to practice your faith, but what's happening on the road is likely wrong... Additionally, I think that all those organisations marching on the street and carrying placards are not the proper way to show love..."