There are no customers in the markets, some homes in the area are shut, the families of many of those arrested are fearful, with at least one claiming they haven't been to meet the accused, and there have been fervent appeals for the administration to at least stop demolishing residences. When The Indian Express reached Bareilly Wednesday, five days after clashes erupted over the “I Love Muhammad” row, a palpable sense of unease pervaded lanes and markets in the areas affected by the violence. At Old City, “I Love Muhammad” banners and posters hung between houses or were pasted on the gates and walls of homes. The areas near Noumahla Masjid and Ala Hazrat Dargah were under heavy police cover. The police said they had arrested nine more associates of Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief Maulana Tauqeer Khan — including two who were shot in the leg in another “shootout” — for their alleged role in the violent protests on September 26. The latest arrests took the total number of those held over the violence to 82. Tauqeer, accused of “masterminding” the clashes that erupted after Friday prayers, was arrested on Saturday. On Tuesday, IMC district president Tazim was arrested after an “encounter” during which he was shot in the leg. Bareilly SP Anurag Arya identified the duo targeted in Wednesday's “encounter” as Shahjahanpur residents Mohammed Idris alias Bora (50) and Iqbal alias Bundan Khan (48). The Opposition, meanwhile, slammed the Yogi Adityanath government's handling of the situation, saying it did “not want peace”. “All they want is to hype the issue and create propaganda around it. You can see this in Sambhal and now here in Bareilly. The Yogi government wants to divert attention from Rahul Gandhi’s allegation of vote theft,” said UP Congress chief Ajay Rai. Congress MP from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, claimed he was placed under house arrest ahead of his visit to Bareilly. Saharanpur police denied the claim, saying they deployed personnel around the MP’s house and that of SP MLC Shahnawaz Khan following law and order inputs. Saharanpur (City) SP, Vyom Bindal, said, “We have not put him under house arrest but have just deployed our forces.” Masood said, “Shahnawaz and I were to travel by train to Bareilly and planned to return within two hours. Yet, we were stopped with the excuse that the situation was not good. We are peacemakers, we can calm the situation, not inflame it.” Masood also criticised IMC chief Tauqeer, saying, “I strongly oppose political announcements being made from mosque loudspeakers. A mosque is a place of worship, not a platform to advance political agendas.” Bareilly SP Anurag Arya said the crackdown was against those who attempted to incite unrest - and would continue. “An SIT is carrying out the investigation. We have also found evidence that some outsiders were involved in the incident,” he said. According to Arya, those arrested on Wednesday had admitted during questioning that they were at the protest and were called there by Nadeem Khan, an associate of Tauqeer, who was arrested earlier. The police claimed the two involved in the latest “encounter”, Idris and Iqbal, had allegedly snatched a constable’s anti-riot firearm and opened fire at police on September 26. Police said they also recovered the stolen anti-riot gun, two country-made pistols, three live cartridges, two spent cartridges, a bike and mobile phones from them. “On Wednesday, the SOG (Special Operations Group) and CB Ganj police team cordoned off the canal area in Fatehganj Pashchimi when the two accused opened fire in an attempt to escape. In retaliatory firing, both sustained bullet injuries to their legs before being overpowered,” Arya said, adding that both “have been admitted to hospital”. “Police records show that Idris faces over 20 cases of theft, dacoity and charges under the Gangster Act. Iqbal has 17 cases including robbery and Arms Act violations,” the SP said. The other seven arrested were identified as Dr Nafees Khan (65) and his son Farhan Khan (32); Shan (32); Mohammad Nadeem (45); Rizwan (24); Tajim (26); and, Amaan Hussain (24). According to police, they recovered a Lenovo laptop and a mobile phone from Dr Khan and his son. “Both of them were part of the mob,” the police said. The Indian Express also visited the Islamia Market, dotted with cycle and motorcycle repair shops as well as bookshops, and found shopkeepers sitting idle. “We don't know when things will be normal,” said Raza-ur-Rehman (70), who has been running a bookshop in the area since 1995. “There have been very few customers (since the clashes). There is police everywhere. The people are scared, nobody wants to come to this area,” he said. Nearby, Vinay Aggarwal (55), who runs a cycle shop, said: “Business in the market has dipped by at least 30%. All we can do is wait.” About a kilometre away, several houses were found locked. “The people left after the violence. Those who stayed behind don't come out,” said Shabban (45), a shop-owner in the locality. At the homes of some of those arrested, the families say they have been left in limbo. Inside the one-storey home of brothers Moien (36) and Mubeen Ahmad Siddiqui (32) in the Rohli Tola area, their elder sister, who did not wish to be named, said: “Moien was arrested on Saturday and Mubeen the next day. Since then, we’ve been doing rounds of the police station but have not seen their faces. (When the clashes erupted) Moien was at home and Mubeen was taking a tuition class.” At the home of Anis Mian, a councilor from IMC, his family claimed his sons were missing. “We are two women at the house now. We do not know where our brothers are,” said Anis’s daughter. “My husband had gone to appeal to people to stay calm. But at 10.30 pm, we got to know that he was arrested,” said Anis's wife, Babli. On Tuesday, local authorities had launched sealing and demolition drives against associates of Tauqeer. On Tuesday night, IMC chief Tauqeer’s brother, Tauseef Raza, appealed to the administration to release “innocent people who were arrested”. “We have also requested them to stop demolishing houses," he said.
