Some controversial posters with the slogan 'Enemies of Sanatan Bharat' have been appearing in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
The posters are claimed to be from Sanatan Raksha Sangathan, which names five political figures including Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and former SP leader Azam Khan as its leaders.
In addition, several former politicians Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari were also depicted in the posters. The display has been highlighted by the news media for its strong political messages and posters were removed by Samajwadi Party workers.
One of those locations was the 1090 intersection in Lucknow, where the posters were displayed in a public place. They did refer to the named people as “Enemies of Sanatan Bharat” which is the phrasing of the organisation behind the display. The slogan is from the group's perspective and not an actual observation about these people.
Five Figures Named In The Posters
The posters were made out of people from different backgrounds, including Akhilesh Yadav who heads the Samajwadi Party and Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leader.
Azam Khan, a veteran Samajwadi Party politician, was also named. The other two were Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari, former politicians whose public lives were marked by criminal cases and controversies.
By putting these names under one slogan, the posters were a pointed political message directed at opposition politics and controversial public histories.
Samajwadi Party Workers Remove Posters
According to the report, Samajwadi Party workers tore down the posters in Lucknow. The removal of these brought the dispute to the forefront as the material directly targeted leaders of the party.
Details of the removal are scarce, even if nothing concrete can be said. The available information does not show whether there was a police complaint filed, whether anybody was arrested and whether there was any official statement from the authorities.
The response from the people named in the posters has also not been established in the information available.
🚨 Posters Branding 5 Leaders As ‘Enemies Of Sanatan Bharat’ Put Up Across Lucknow! • Atiq Ahmed & Mukhtar Ansari • SP Leaders Azam Khan & Akhilesh Yadav • Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi Posters were put up by Sanatan Raksha Sangathan, including at 1090 intersection. SP workers tore them down. https://t.co/jVcDl8mtng
— The Analyzer (News Updates🗞️) (@Indian_Analyzer) October 18, 2026
Political Messaging Sparks Attention
Lucknow is a major centre of political activity in Uttar Pradesh and public displays of prominent political figures often attract attention. Posters and banners are often used to communicate political positions but provocative slogans can intensify disagreements between supporters of different parties.
The name “Enemies of Sanatan Bharat” adds religious and political dimensions to the display. It is against identifiable public figures that questions the role of religious identity in politics and the impact of confrontational messaging in public spaces.
The incident also illustrates how posters can become a point of contention when there is friction between groups of people and political groups that find it either problematic or they feel it is directed at them.
For now, the reports center around the posters at the 1090 intersection and their removal by Samajwadi Party workers.
To establish the full sequence of events, further proof of the organisation's claims about the posters, the circumstances around the posters, and any official response would confirm the whole sequence of events would be helpful.
But until then, the slogan should be treated as the message of the organisation and not a conclusion about the people named.
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