Several anti-Israel posters were found pasted on the walls of houses, shops, mosques, temples and police stations at Chandausi in Sambhal district on Sunday.

Besides bearing slogans like “Free Gaza, Free Palestine” in Hindi, the posters also urged Muslims to “boycott” goods and items that were even remotely related to Israel.

“Remember that we are dead if we don’t feel like crying after seeing the deaths of our Palestinian brothers and sisters,” read another poster.

Some appealed to shopkeepers not to sell any Israeli goods.

Ramveer Singh, a police inspector in Chandausi, said: “We are collecting CCTV footage to identify those who put up these posters, which are divisive and may vitiate the atmosphere of the district. We are also interrogating some people.”

A video doing the rounds on social media showed two unidentified men sticking the posters on the walls.

A local resident, who didn’t wish to be identified, said it would be too simplistic to conclude that the posters were pasted by Muslims just because they contained anti-Israeli slogans and issued an appeal to the community.

“We know who has been trying to weaken the social fabric of the area for the last few months. In the past, those who wanted to target a particular community tried to do so by committing some heinous act and pinning the blame on them,” he said.

“The Muslims of Sambhal are so upset at the moment that they are not able to think beyond their own lives, let alone plastering such posters on the walls,” he added.

The far Right in India has always supported Israel, which has killed more than 51,000 Palestinians — mostly women and children — in an offensive in Gaza launched after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel in October 2023.

The Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal is at the centre of a communal dispute following claims by Hindus that it was built on the ruins of a temple demolished by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.