The violence erupted after the prayers of Jumme in Bareilly has shook the entire Uttar Pradesh. The controversy started outside the mosque on the poster of ‘I Love Mohammed’ campaign on Friday suddenly turned into a violent conflict. On seeing this, stone pelting, sabotage and slogans from Khalil Tiraha to Islamia Maidan made the atmosphere uncontrollable. The direct confrontation between the police and the protesters turned the road into the battlefield.
After this violence, the police took major action and arrested 39 people including Maulana Tauqir Raza Khan. Along with Maulana, well-known accused like Sarfaraz, Manifuddin, Azim Ahmed, Mohammad Sharif, Mohammad Aamir, Rehan and Mohammad Sarfaraz have also been sent to jail. A total of 180 nominated and 2500 unidentified people have been booked for serious allegations like riot, sabotage, stone pelting and provoking religious sentiments.
District Magistrate Avinash Singh and SSP Anurag Arya termed the violence as a planned conspiracy and said that all this happened despite the implementation of Section 163 of the Indian Code, which stops illegal meetings. Internet service was discontinued for 48 hours in Bareilly for the situation to go out of control. There is already a ban on forwarding messages on social media platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp and YouTube.
Know who is Maulana Tauqir Raza Khan?
The arrest of Maulana Tauqir Raza Khan is the most discussed. He is a descendant of Ahmed Raza Khan, the founder of the Sunni Barelvi sect. There has always been an impressive and controversial personality in Bareilly’s religious-oriented Fiza. In 2001, he founded the Ittehad-e-Millat Council. After this, they came down in politics. After this, he joined the Congress in the year 2009 and came in support of SP in 2012.
After the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, their relationship with the Samajwadi Party broke. He appeared with the BSP in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. His name has been echoing in violence and controversies repeatedly. In 2010, he was accused of provoking the crowd in the Bareilly riots. During the year 2019-20, he was also accused in CAA-NRC protests. Citizenship was openly outspoken against the law.
Deobandi ideology accused of discrimination
Along with this, Bangladeshi writer was also in discussion due to the issuance of fatwa against Taslima Nasreen. His journey has not been easy even on the religious stage. Accusing Deobandi ideology of discrimination, he separated from the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and took command of the ‘Jadid Board’. In the SP government, he was made the vice -president of the handloom department, but he resigned after the 2013 riots.
In 2016, when he reached Deoband while trying to unity among Muslims, Barelvi camp criticized him strongly. After this, he had to apologize. A few hours before the arrest after the Bareilly violence, Maulana said in the video message, “It would be happy if I am shot.” He also appealed to his supporters, but the administration caught him late at night and presented him in court in the morning.
Yogi said- Maulana forgot who is in power?
At the same time, a section of civil society has raised questions about his arrest. The organization called ‘Citizens for Fratoryanity’ wrote a letter to the Chief Minister, stating this action on religious expression. On the other hand, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gave a clear warning that those who spread violence during festivals will not be spared at any cost. He said, “Yesterday a Maulana forgot who is in power?”
CM Yogi called the rioters described in Hindu scriptures and said that Goddess Bhagwati destroys such elements. He made it clear that such action will be taken against those who play with law and order which will teach a lesson to the coming generations. By the way, the fire of this violence is gradually reaching other districts of the state. After Bareilly, such incidents have also happened in Barabanki, Mau and Varanasi.
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