UP Cleric Linked To Bareilly Clashes Among Over 2 Dozen Held Amid ‘I Love Muhammad’ Row

Final Up to date:September 27, 2025, 14:00 IST

Uttar Pradesh Police detained cleric Tauqeer Raza for allegedly triggering Friday’s clashes in Bareilly. Greater than two dozen individuals had been taken into custody following the violence.

Bareilly: Safety personnel lathi-charge protesters throughout an illustration over the difficulty of ‘I Love Mohammad’ posters (Photograph: PTI)

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday detained cleric and Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Tauqeer Raza Khan in reference to the Friday clashes in Bareilly.

Raza is the one who made an announcement suspending the proposed demonstration in assist of the ‘I Love Muhammad’ marketing campaign within the metropolis, thus inciting a conflict between a big crowd and police exterior a mosque.

The police took greater than two dozen individuals into custody following the clashes.

In accordance with the police, a big crowd carrying ‘I Love Muhammad’ posters and banners had gathered exterior the cleric’s residence and close to the mosque, each within the Kotwali space and situated a brief distance from one another, after the Friday prayers. 

Some individuals additionally expressed their anger over the suspension of the demonstration.

WHO IS TAUQEER RAZA KHAN?

Information company PTI quoted sources as saying that Khan made a last-minute announcement to name off the demonstration, saying the authorities didn’t grant permission for it.

On Thursday, the cleric had warned that the demonstration would go forward at any value.

Khan has been politically lively for greater than twenty years, with some affect in Bareilly and close by districts.

He’s additionally the direct descendant of Ahmed Raza Khan, the founding father of the Barelvi sect of Sunni Islam, one of the distinguished sects within the subcontinent.

Violence unfolded exterior a small mosque adjoining the Islamia floor within the coronary heart of town and close to the Dargah-e-Ala Hazrat, probably the most revered shrine for the followers of the Barelvi sect.

As the group tried to march in the direction of the Islamia Inter Faculty floor, police tried to cease it at Khalil Tiraha, triggering stone pelting and vandalisation of autos and outlets by the demonstrators, making a stampede-like scenario.

Visuals confirmed damaged glass, scattered footwear and stones on the streets as police in anti-riot gear used drive to disperse the group.

DIG Ajay Kumar Sahni instructed reporters that police had been in contact with spiritual leaders for 2 days previous to the Friday prayers, which had been carried out peacefully in most areas.

THE ‘I LOVE MUHAMMAD’ CAMPAIGN

The genesis of the controversy dates again to September 9, when police in Kanpur filed an FIR in opposition to 9 named and 15 unidentified individuals for allegedly putting in boards with ‘I Love Muhammad’ written on these on a street throughout a Barawafat procession.

Hindu teams objected to it, calling it “deviation from custom” and a “deliberate provocation”.

The controversy quickly unfold throughout a number of Uttar Pradesh districts and to states like Uttarakhand and Karnataka, sparking protests and police crackdowns.

ALSO READ | Posters Backing Yogi Adityanath, Bulldozer Motion Seen In Lucknow Amid ‘I Love Muhammad’ Row

Vani Mehrotra

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy Information Editor at News18.com. She has practically 10 years of expertise in each nationwide and worldwide information and has beforehand labored on a number of desks.

Vani Mehrotra is the Deputy Information Editor at News18.com. She has practically 10 years of expertise in each nationwide and worldwide information and has beforehand labored on a number of desks.

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