Bareilly Police Detain 15 Amid Protests Over “I Love Muhammad” Slogans
NEW DELHI: On Sunday, Bareilly Police apprehended 15 individuals linked to stone-pelting and violent incidents during the “I Love Muhammad” protests in the district on Friday. These detainees are being processed for jail, according to authorities.
SP City Bareilly, Manush Pareek, confirmed, “Fifteen rioters are being detained and sent to jail today. Pieces of brick and stone, empty cartridges, and a pistol were recovered from them.” He noted that police are working to identify additional participants using CCTV footage, drone surveillance, and manual intelligence.
Pareek stated that many of the suspects lived outside Bareilly district and had prior criminal records. The protests commenced following Friday prayers outside Ala Hazrat Dargah and the residence of IMC chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, where demonstrators displayed “I Love Muhammad” placards.
In response to escalating tensions, heavy security was deployed at both sites. Uttar Pradesh Police resorted to a lathi charge when some protesters began throwing stones. To maintain order ahead of the protest, officials executed a five-kilometer flag march through vital areas of the city on Thursday, which included Bihari Pur police outpost, Kutubkhana, Dargah Ala Hazrat, Malookpur, and the vegetable market. Authorities urged residents to stay calm and act lawfully.
The protests were ignited by disputes surrounding “I Love Muhammad” posters that originated in Kanpur during a Barawafat procession, drawing objections from right-wing Hindu groups. Following these incidents, FIRs were filed, and similar protests and law enforcement actions spread across several districts in Uttar Pradesh, as well as into Uttarakhand and Karnataka. Maulana Tauqeer Raza had warned that the protest would go ahead “at any cost.”
