MEERUT Tensions flared in Bareilly after Friday prayers when several protestors gathered near the Naumahla Mosque and at other places in support of the ‘I Love Muhammad’ campaign on the call of a local cleric and Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza.
Hundreds of people from the Muslim community took to the streets carrying posters and banners bearing the slogan. Large crowds gathered outside the cleric’s residence and near the mosque, both in the Kotwali area, with people expressing anger over the last-minute suspension of the protest due to denial of permission by local authorities, said police.
Police attempted to disperse the crowd which gathered outside the mosque, but the angry protesters began pelting stones, prompting the police to use force and detain many.
The situation turned volatile near Khalil higher secondary school when some miscreants began vandalising vehicles. Police intervened and resorted to a baton charge to disperse the crowd. Authorities also placed Maulana Tauqeer Raza, chief of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), under house arrest ahead of the demonstration.
In Shyamganj, a heated argument ensued when the police attempted to stop the protestors. Despite the intervention, the crowd marched ahead in a procession, shouting slogans. Shops in the area were forcibly shut down by police as a precautionary measure.
Raza made a last-minute announcement to call off the demonstration, saying the authorities did not grant permission for it. Earlier, the cleric had warned that the demonstration would go ahead “at any cost”, said sources.
He released a video denying media reports of “planned violence” and alleged that the police administration, in collusion with informers, had conspired to tarnish the movement.
“We will offer Friday prayers at Naumahla Mosque and then peacefully submit a memorandum to the President through the district magistrate regarding our grievances,” he stated.
DIG (Bareilly) AK Sahni said: “Law enforcement authorities had been engaging with people, urging them to conduct prayers peacefully. But, a group of agitators suddenly emerged, engaging in violent acts, including stone-pelting and firing. Comprehensive video and photographic evidence of the incident was captured.”
He confirmed that Friday prayers were conducted peacefully, but admitted that “a few miscreants tried to disturb the atmosphere” before being chased away. The police said the situation is currently under control, and many of the stone pelters have been taken into custody.
“Disturbances occurred at three or four locations, resulting in injuries to over 10 police officers. Investigations suggest a pre-meditated conspiracy, as a large number of individuals appeared abruptly, seemingly prepared for confrontation,” added Sahni.
The controversy dates back to September 9 when police in Kanpur filed an FIR against nine named and 15 unidentified persons for allegedly installing boards with ‘I Love Muhammad’ written on them on a public road in Kanpur during a Barawafat procession on September 4.