Maulana Tauqeer Raza among 9 arrested for Bareilly violence: ‘Online toolkit’ used to spread his videos, say police

A local court on Saturday sent Raza and the others to 14-day judicial custody for allegedly masterminding the violence, police said.

During the day, police personnel were deployed across the area.

At the gate of the deserted Islamia Inter College in Bareilly sat a couple of policemen on plastic chairs, surrounded by patrol vans. At Biharipur Chowki, just across the 200-metre wide road facing the mosque, 30 police personnel stood guard with sticks and weapons. On either side of the Chowki, narrow lanes had two to three police personnel stationed at each entrance.

The area saw tensions on Friday after police stopped people carrying ‘I Love Muhammad’ placards from assembling and used force to disperse them when some in the crowd allegedly hurled stones and raised slogans. Police had said some protesters also opened fire.

The protest, in which police believe over 1,000 participated, was allegedly called by Raza after Friday prayers. The crowd came from the side of a nearby mosque and was going to assemble in the Islamia ground when they were stopped, the Uttar Pradesh police said.

DIG Sahini said that as of now, 49 people have been detained and 11 FIRs have been registered. A police officer said that out of the 11, Raza has been named as the main accused in at least seven.

DIG Sahini said Raza was arrested around 9 am on Saturday.

Soon after DIG Sahini announced the arrests, he, along with 50-70 police personnel, went for a patrol march around the markets of Kotwali area.

The 3-km-long march covered major markets in the area, which had ‘I Love Mahadev posters’ hanging from electrical poles and pasted on some shop windows. Shop owners showered flowers on the police party.

Among those allegedly at the receiving end of the lathi charge was a teenage boy, who studies in one of the schools managed by Raza’s IMC. His mother said he had gone out for namaz because his friends were there, and that he is now hospitalised with injuries to his head and chest.
Bareilly Police have also formed an SIT to arrest other people from IMC who are on the run and those who allegedly fired shots. Police said Raza is being shifted to Fatehpur Jail.

In a statement on Friday, Bareilly Police said that on September 21, the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, Bareilly, asked people to gather at the Islamia Ground after Friday prayers. The administration did not grant permission for this and informed the council, both verbally and in writing.

On Friday, police stopped people and explained the situation to them and most dispersed. “However, some persons, in violation of Section 163 of the BNSS (power to issue order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger), attempted to move towards Islamia Ground. The police warned them and tried to control the situation, but a few miscreants showed aggression and threw stones at the police. Using minimal force, police dispersed the crowd. Based on video and CCTV footage, the miscreants will be identified, and strict action will be taken. Residents of the district are urged not to pay attention to any rumour or misleading information,” the police statement said.

Bareilly District Magistrate Avnish Singh had said, “Authorities had already informed the organisers that due to the imposition of Section 163 BNSS across the district, no public gathering or procession would be allowed without prior permission.”

“Despite the advisory, a few individuals attempted to gather immediately after the Friday prayers and disrupt the atmosphere. Specific locations such as Khalil Tiraha, outside Navmela Masjid, and Shayamat Ganj witnessed some unrest,” he said.

There have been similar protests in other cities after Kanpur police lodged an FIR following tensions during the Barawafat procession to commemorate the birth of the Prophet. Police had said on Friday that the Kanpur FIR was not over the installation of an ‘I love Muhammad’ board, but over an incident in which religious posters were torn.

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