LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday stopped a 14-member Samajwadi Party (SP) delegation led by Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Mata Prasad Pandey from visiting Bareilly, where internet services remain suspended and a crackdown continues following last week’s violence over the ‘I Love Mohammad’ poster protests.
Bareilly remained silent on Friday under heavy police deployment, with over 10,000 personnel on the ground, drones monitoring the city, and clerics appealing for calm. Officials conducted flag marches and foot patrols to maintain order.
The unrest had erupted on 26 September after Friday prayers, when nearly 2,000 people gathered outside a mosque in Kotwali area in support of the ‘I Love Mohammad’ campaign called by cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan.
However, chaos ensued when Raza announced at the last minute that the demonstration was cancelled. Angry protestors gathered outside his residence and a nearby mosque with banners reading ‘I Love Mohammad’. Police resorted to a lathi charge, after which stones were hurled at them.
So far, 81 people have been jailed, 10 FIRs registered, and around 200 individuals named out of an estimated 2,500 rioters. At least 34 Muslims, including those close to Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief Tauqeer Raza, have been arrested.
Police alleged that the unrest was premeditated and named Raza as the “mastermind” behind the violence. The Bareilly Development Authority has sealed several properties linked to his associates, including Hotel Skylark owned by Faham, Faham Lawn and Flora Garden owned by Mohammad Arif, and Jalsa Green Marriage Hall.
The administration also announced that a list of immovable properties of the miscreants was being prepared and “major action” would follow. Bareilly District Magistrate Avinash Singh said Friday prayers were offered peacefully across all mosques and that “people fully cooperated with police and the administration.”
Pandey, 83, was placed under house arrest at his Lucknow residence after being served a letter from the Bareilly district magistrate. He slammed the action as “undemocratic” and a “violation of the Constitution.”
“A letter was initially issued asking me to stay in the house, but was later corrected. As soon as the government received information about our visit, a large police force was deployed at our private residence in Lucknow to stop us from going to Bareilly. This is completely unfortunate and undemocratic. It violates the rights granted by the Constitution,” he said in a post on X.
Speaking to the media, Pandey added, “A 14-member delegation comprising party MPs were to reach Bareilly today since we had been receiving phone calls and messages that innocent people were being sent to jail. Our intention was to get to the truth and help those in need. To hide their own shortcomings, they are not allowing us to go there. We will now talk to our party members and decide accordingly.”
Other SP leaders, including MPs Harendra Malik, Ikra Hasan and Mohibullah Nadvi, were stopped at the Ghaziabad border. The three resisted for about 40 minutes before being turned back. Ikra Hasan, MP from Kairana, said, “There seems to be an undeclared emergency in UP. Tomorrow, if someone writes ‘I Love Mahadev’ or ‘I Love Shri Ram,’ no one will object. So what is wrong with ‘I Love Mohammad’? The government seems afraid of losing power.”
Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman Barq was also prevented from leaving his residence, with visuals showing heavy police presence outside. When he attempted to leave for Bareilly, Inspector Rajiv Kumar Malik blocked his way. Despite Barq’s insistence, the police did not allow him to proceed.
The BJP, meanwhile, criticised the SP’s attempt to send a delegation, calling it political theatre. Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya wrote on X: “Sending a delegation to Bareilly by SP chief Shri Akhilesh Yadav is a childish step. The SP is known for its dirty politics of Muslim appeasement. The SP’s downfall and wipeout in the 2027 assembly elections are certain. A riot-free UP, good governance, and law and order are our identity and achievement. This is exactly what the SP supporters cannot stomach.”
Locals in Bareilly alleged that police resorted to excessive force, including lathi charges and even opening fire on protesters, leading to injuries. However, the FIRs filed in connection with the unrest described it as a “planned conspiracy,” claiming IMC members had decided on an indefinite protest rather than merely submitting a memorandum. Five FIRs were filed in Kotwali, two in Baradari, and one each in Qila, Cantt and Prem Nagar police stations, naming 125 individuals and 3,000 others as accused.
With internet services still suspended and the crackdown continuing, officials and clerics have continued appeals for peace while investigations into the alleged conspiracy remain underway.