Bareilly police have intensified operations following a significant protest against police actions targeting the “I Love Muhammad” campaign. Prominent leader and chief of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), Maulana Tauqeer Raza, was previously arrested, and now close associates are experiencing heightened state actions under directives from Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
On Monday, Raza’s son-in-law, Mohsin Raza, was arrested. His resort was sealed, and his residence faced demolition by a bulldozer team from the Bareilly Development Authority (BDA). Officials accused him of operating an “illegal e-rickshaw charging station” without appropriate permissions.
Meanwhile, the daughter of Farhat, a close aide of Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who reportedly provided protection to Raza the night before the Bareilly protest, has appealed to the administration to safeguard her family’s home. She emphasized their innocence, stating, “Our house was built by my father with the savings of his entire life. If it is demolished, we will be left homeless. We respect the law and the administration, but what is our fault?”
Sources indicate that the administration has begun inspecting properties belonging to Farhat’s family and is investigating other constructions. Farhat’s daughter has called for justice, declaring, “If we have done wrong, we must get punished, but running bulldozers on our properties is an arbitrary and extrajudicial action by the police, supported by the UP government.”
The police crackdown follows a protest that erupted after crowds, allegedly mobilized by Raza’s call following Jumma prayers on September 26, clashed with law enforcement. Since the protest, authorities have made 62 arrests, identifying Raza, IMC’s national general secretary Dr. Nafees, and associate Nadeem as key figures.
Authorities claim to have seized or sealed properties worth approximately ₹150 crore linked to Raza’s aides and have suggested further demolitions targeting Raza’s assets. Officials stated, “The administration will not spare those fueling violence. Raza’s assets will also be demolished.”
The extensive use of bulldozers and property seizures has faced significant backlash from opposition parties and rights groups, who accuse the state of enacting collective punishment against the Muslim community. A delegation from the Samajwadi Party, led by former minister Bhagwat Sharan Gangwar, met with the DIG on Monday to demand restraint. A party leader remarked, “We demand a fair investigation. Only those guilty of violence should face action, while innocents must be protected.”
Civil rights activists have criticized the bulldozer demolitions, a hallmark of the Yogi Adityanath government, for bypassing legal due process. Prominent journalist Rana Ayyub commented on X: “There is a curfew in Bareilly, and hundreds of Muslims are being arrested. The silence of the judiciary, the institutions, the media, and our public intellectuals in this open season of hatred against Muslims is the reason this apartheid is being normalized.”
Nafees, who has also been arrested, faces severe charges, and over three dozen of his shops have reportedly been sealed by the Municipal Corporation. So far, authorities have filed 10 FIRs, with 29 individuals sent to jail. While internet services that were suspended during the protest were restored on Monday, officials remain vigilant, monitoring social media for disinformation.
Following these events, Iqra Hasan, Kairana MP, criticized the Uttar Pradesh government, stating, “The present government in Uttar Pradesh neither understands the Constitution nor the rights of its citizens.”
Tags: Muhammad, Bulldozer action, Tauqeer Raza, collective punishment, Bareilly
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