Bareilly ‘I Love Muhammad’ Violence: Congress, Samajwadi Party Leaders under residence, two ‘outsiders’ held after the meeting

On Wednesday, October 1, police prevented the MP for Imran Masood Congress and the deputy for the Samajwadi party, Shahnavaz Khan, from visiting violence-Hit Bareilly.

They were to visit Bareilly on Wednesday morning, but were limited to their residences since the night of Tuesday, September 30, reported the PTI news agency.

A police team has been keeping their homes since then and no official declaration has yet been made.

Masood addressed journalists from his residence and said: “We follow the Gandhian ideology. We had to leave at 6:50 am for Bareilly to meet the excavation and ADG and return before 1:30 p.m. but the government uses such tactics to hide its failures.”

“It is the government and the police that have made the situation abnormal. Muslims are targeted selectively. A set of laws applies to us, another to others,” he added, while answering a question of whether their visit could have aggravated the situation, according to PTI.

Violent clashes broke out on September 26 when more than 2,000 people gathered in front of the house of a local chief and a mosque, protesting against the cancellation of “I Love Muhammad” demonstrations proposed by Maulana Tauqeer Raza, a local clerk and head of the Council of Ittehad-E-Millat (BMI).

Two “foreigners” arrested by the police

In another development in this area, the police arrested two people who would have been involved in the violence of September 26, after a meeting in the GB Ganj region on October 1.

The two men were injured in the ball and are currently hospitalized, receiving treatment in police custody, said PTI quoting a higher police officer.

“Idrees and Iqbal, behind the residents of the neighboring district of Shahjahanpur, were actively involved in the violence that broke out in the Kotwali region last week,” said Anurag Arya, Senior Director of Police (SSP).

“They were apprehended after a brief fire exchange with the police. The two were injured by bullets during the meeting and were taken to the hospital for treatment. They are now in detention,” he added.

What is the saga “I like Mohammad” for?

The controversy was revealed on September 9, when the Kanpur police filed a FIR against 24 people for allegedly installed advice registered with “ I Love Mohammad ”, on a public road on September 4 during a Barawafat procession, according to PTI. The FIR has appointed nine people, while 15 years were not identified.

This decision had launched objections from Hindu organizations, alleging a “new trend” to deliberately provoke emotions. The case gained momentum after the president of Aimim, Asaduddin Owaisi, began to say that it was not a crime to say “I like Mohammad”.

The controversy has spread in different parts of the UP, and even states such as Karnataka and Uttarakhand, where police demonstrations and repression have been reported.