Bareilly/Barabanki/Varanasi, 27 Sept

Tensions erupted across multiple districts in Uttar Pradesh following Friday’s unrest in Bareilly over the “I Love Muhammad” campaign, prompting arrests, heightened security, and concerns over communal unrest.

Police on Saturday arrested Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, chief of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, along with seven others — Sarfaraz, Manifuddin, Azeem Ahmed, Mohammed Sharif, Mohammed Aamir, Rehan, and Mohammad Sarfaraz — in connection with violent clashes that broke out after Friday prayers.

A local court remanded them in 14-day judicial custody. Authorities said Raza, the “main conspirator”, incited youth with inflammatory speeches, creating “an atmosphere of anarchy” from Khaleel Tiraha to the Islamia ground.

The unrest spread to Barabanki, Mau, and Varanasi. In Barabanki’s Faizullaganj village, a local watchman allegedly took down a banner reading “I Love Muhammad”, triggering a confrontation between communities. In Mau, a group took out a procession chanting the slogan, which police dispersed using batons.

In Varanasi, police arrested eight people, including a juvenile, for an unauthorised procession on 22 September that blocked traffic and disrupted public peace.

Over 500 individuals are being identified via CCTV and video footage in Bareilly. Police said the organisers had been informed that written permission was required under Section 163 of the BNSS. Authorities registered cases against Raza, 25 named individuals and 200 unidentified persons for violating prohibitory orders.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath warned that disruption of law and order would not be tolerated. “A Maulana forgot who is in power... we made it clear there will be neither a roadblock nor curfew,” he said, adding that strict action would deter future attempts at unrest.

The controversy began on 4 September during Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi processions in Kanpur, where banners with “I Love Muhammad” were installed. Hindu groups criticised it as a “deviation from tradition”, while AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi defended the slogan, stating, “Saying ‘I Love Muhammad’ is not a crime.”