New Delhi: Tauqeer Raza, a local cleric and chief of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, was arrested on Saturday after his support for the ‘I Love Muhammad’ campaign triggered chaos in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh. Authorities said a large crowd gathered outside his residence following a video he posted backing the campaign. The gathering continued to swell, leading to tension in the area. Raza has been sent to 14-days’ judicial custody. Officials are monitoring the situation to prevent further unrest.
Earlier in the day, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a stern warning in the wake of Friday’s violence in Bareilly. He said those who incite riots will face such consequences that “future generations will think twice before disturbing law and order.”
Speaking at the Viksit Uttar Pradesh Vision-2047 programme in Lucknow, CM Yogi said a cleric in Bareilly had threatened to block the city after Friday prayers but “forgot who is in power in the state.”
The Chief Minister asserted that his government would not allow curfews or blockades. “We made it clear there would be neither blockades nor curfews. Instead, we will teach them such a lesson that their harmful tendencies will be corrected,” he said.
He further said, “Earlier, rioters were invited to the Chief Minister’s residence and honoured. Mafia people were given free rein to control districts, and governments even saluted professional criminals. You must have seen many instances where those in power felt proud to shake hands with a mafia’s dog,” he said.
The CM alleged that earlier governments had created a system of “One District, One Mafia,” where local strongmen dictated administration and ordinary people were forced to live at their mercy.
“Agriculture was destroyed, youths’ jobs were sold off, and extortion gangs flourished. Their agents auctioned transfers and postings. We have attacked these immoral and illegal practices, and that is why their followers are now shouting,” he remarked.
He also claimed that before 2017, festivals often turned violent, but his government had brought a decisive end to such disturbances.
“Sometimes bad habits don’t leave easily, so they must be corrected sternly. Yesterday in Bareilly, you saw a corrective action. The cleric thought he could threaten us and force his way, but we showed him the authority of the state,” Adityanath said.
The Chief Minister said his government had deployed bulldozers against those who attempt to divide society in the name of caste and religion.
“When dishonest and corrupt people come to power, they misuse authority and exploit society. We built the bulldozer precisely for such people,” he said
Friday’s violence in Bareilly broke out when a procession carrying “I love Muhammad” posters and placards did not obey police orders to disperse.
A large number of people took to the streets, carrying placards and posters reading “I Love Muhammad” and chanting slogans as they marched towards Islamia Ground and Khalil School Chowk. Police used force when people shouting “Nara-e-Taqbeer” did not disperse despite orders.
However, on Saturday, the city remains peaceful and no untoward incident has been reported.
The controversy began on September 4 during the Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur, when a ‘I love Muhammad’ poster was put on a tent along the route and local Hindu groups objected to it.
Soon after, tensions rose between the two communities. While the Hindus alleged that their posters were torn and taken down, Muslims claimed that they were targeted for expressing love for the Prophet. The issue also made it to social media with #ILoveMuhammad trending online.
Weeks later, a counter-campaign emerged in Varanasi as religious leaders protested against the ‘I love Muhammad’ posters with ‘I love Mahadev’ placards. The religious leaders described their protest as a response to allegedly “provocative” attempts to unsettle communal peace.
(IANS)
