Flag march in Bareilly ahead of cleric's call for protest over 'I Love Mohammad' posters

Bareilly (UP), Sep 25 (PTI) Authorities in Bareilly conducted a flag march on Thursday amid a call for protest by cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who has announced a sit-in demonstration at Islamia Ground on Friday over the issue of "I Love Mohammad" posters.

District Magistrate Avinash Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anurag Arya led the flag march involving police, Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and paramilitary forces. Officials said the exercise was meant to send out a clear message that any attempt to disturb peace would not be tolerated.

"The district is under Section 163, so no protest can be held without permission," DM Singh told reporters.

The march, covering nearly five kilometres, passed through areas including Bihari Pur police outpost, Kutubkhana, Dargah Ala Hazrat, Malookpur and the city vegetable market. Officials appealed to residents to maintain peace and abide by the law.

Large-scale deployment of police and paramilitary personnel was also put in place, with SP City Manush Pareek, SP South Anshika Verma, SP North Mukesh Chandra Mishra, SP crime, SP traffic, City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri, ADM, SDM, COs, women SOG members and around 50 inspectors taking part in the march.

Earlier, at a press conference, Tauqeer Raza alleged instances of derogatory remarks against the Prophet in different parts of the country, including Shahjahanpur.

The Friday protest call by the local cleric comes in the wake of the “I Love Mohammad” row which began in Kanpur during a Barawafat procession where posters with the slogan were displayed, sparking objections by right-wing Hindu groups over "deviation from the tradition".

FIRs followed, and the controversy spread across several UP districts, including Bareilly, and to states like Uttarakhand and Karnataka, leading to protests, poster removals, and police crackdowns.

The cleric warned that the protest would go ahead "at any cost". PTI COR KIS MNK MNK