Bareilly violence: Tauqeer Raza Khan among 39 arrested; Yogi warns rioters

Bareilly (UP): In a major crackdown, police arrested 39 people, including local cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan, in connection with the violence during the 'I love Muhammad' campaign after Friday prayers in Bareilly, while authorities suspended internet service in the district for 48 hours beginning Saturday.

Overnight house-to-house raids were carried out to nab the culprits and 10 cases were filed on rioting and other charges against 180 named individuals, including Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Raza who had allegedly called for the protest, and 2,500 unnamed people, officials said.

Slamming the violence during the 'I love Muhammad' campaign, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warned that those trying to disrupt Hindu festivals and inciting violence and anarchy in the name of faith will not be spared.

"The main conspirator of the Bareilly unrest, Maulana Tauqeer Raza, along with seven others, have been arrested, produced in court, and sent to a 14-day judicial custody," District Magistrate Avinash Singh said while addressing a press conference along with Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya.

The seven other accused have been identified as Sarfaraz, Manifuddin, Azeem Ahmed, Mohammed Sharif, Mohammed Aamir, Rehan and Mohammad Sarfaraz, police said.

"The police arrested 39 rioters from Friday night to Saturday," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Arya said.

He said that following the violent clash in Bareilly, police teams launched a swift crackdown.

"Ten cases have been filed against 180 named and 2,500 unidentified rioters, including Maulana Tauqeer Raza, under various sections for inciting violence, vandalism, rioting, stone-pelting and hurting religious sentiments at various police stations across the city, including Kotwali, Premnagar, Baradari, Cantt, and Quila," he said.

The officials said that internet service has been suspended in Bareilly for the next 48 hours, beginning Saturday. Messages will not be forwarded on Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube.

Raza's arrest followed a day of tension in Bareilly, where a large crowd carrying 'I Love Muhammad' posters clashed with police outside a mosque in the Kotwali area after Friday prayers. The crowd was reportedly angry over the cancellation of a proposed demonstration called by Raza, who claimed the authorities denied permission for it.

According to the SSP, a crowd took to the streets on the cleric's provocation, creating an atmosphere of "anarchy" from Khaleel Tiraha up to the Islamia ground.

He said Raza had been under surveillance since Friday, despite his attempts to mislead authorities.

The cleric reportedly spent Friday night at the house of Farhat, an Ittehad-e-Millat Council leader and friend, though his supporters were told that he left for Delhi, the officer said.

In the early hours of Saturday, a police team led by SP (Traffic) Akmal Khan formally arrested Raza and moved him to a secure location. He was produced in court on Saturday morning under heavy security.

Raza, the founder of Ittehad-e-Millat Council, has been politically active for more than two decades, with some influence in Bareilly and nearby districts.

He is a descendant of Ahmed Raza Khan, the founder of the Barelvi sect of Sunni Islam. Raza was previously accused of inciting the mob during a riot in 2010 and the anti-CAA/NRC protests in 2019-20.

Raza had posted a video at night where he alleged police atrocities. The cleric also congratulated those injured in Friday's clash and said, "I would be happy if I were arrested. Just like (gangster) Atiq Ahmad was shot, shoot me as well." Meanwhile, a civil society group, Citizens for Fraternity (CFF), comprising eminent Muslims on Saturday wrote to Chief Minister Adityanath over the police action, alleging "arbitrary detention" of individuals for displaying posters and "harassment" of their families.

"The 'I Love Muhammad' expression is a personal religious declaration for adherents of Islam and is protected under the fundamental right to practice one's religion. While any act that clearly incites violence or communal disharmony must be dealt with severely, the mere expression of devotion should not be met with large-scale, heavy-handed police response that appears punitive rather than preventative," the CFF said.

DM Singh and DIG Ajay Kumar Sahni on Friday said the violence was the result of a planned conspiracy, calling it an attempt to disrupt peace despite the imposition of Section 163 of BNSS in the district, which prohibits unauthorised assemblies.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cited the action in Bareilly to assert that the state government has sent a firm message that disrupting law and order will not be tolerated at any cost.

"Yesterday, a Maulana forgot who is in power in the state," Adityanath said, without taking any names.

"He thought he could halt the system whenever he wanted, but we made it clear that there would be neither a roadblock nor a curfew. The lesson we have taught will make the future generations think twice before rioting," Adityanath said at a media event.

At another event, Adityanath said, "Some are saying 'I Love Mohammad' and indulging in arson and vandalism." "They know that this is Sharadiya Navratra, the occasion of Vijaya Dashami. If they spread chaos during the Sharadiya Navratra, work like 'Chundd' and 'Mundd' (demons mentioned in Hindu scriptures), then Goddess Bhagwati is not going to tolerate it. Goddess Bhagwati crushes such 'Chundd' and 'Mundd'," Adityanath said.

"We will give respect and security to everyone, but if someone dares to play with the security, or attacks innocents, then such action will be taken that it will set a precedent," Adityanath said here.

The UP Chief Minister said that spoiling the atmosphere during festivals is not acceptable. "I am warning those who act like cowards by pushing women and children in front of them that they will have to pay the price," he said.

The controversy erupted on September 9, when police in Kanpur filed an FIR against 24 persons for allegedly installing boards with 'I Love Muhammad' written on them during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession on September 4. Some Hindu groups objected to the boards, calling it a "deviation from tradition" and a "deliberate provocation".

Protests by Muslim groups against the FIR spread to several Uttar Pradesh districts and to states like Uttarakhand and Karnataka.