{"id":10287450,"date":"2025-10-04T15:55:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T10:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/?post_type=article&p=10287450"},"modified":"2025-10-04T16:01:51","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T10:31:51","slug":"i-love-muhammad-poster-not-the-issue-unruly-crowd-was-bareilly-top-cop-after-clashes-10287450","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/cities\/lucknow\/i-love-muhammad-poster-not-the-issue-unruly-crowd-was-bareilly-top-cop-after-clashes-10287450\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I Love Muhammad\u2019 poster not the issue, unruly crowd was: Bareilly top cop after clashes"},"content":{"rendered":"

A week after violent clashes rocked Bareilly when police stopped people carrying \u2018I Love Muhammad\u2019 placards, Deputy Inspector General (Bareilly Range) Ajay Kumar Sahni clarified on Saturday that the posters were never the issue. He said the objection was to the large gathering, which disturbed law and order.<\/p><\/ev-engagement><\/ev-engagement>

\n

Speaking to The Indian Express<\/a>, Sahni said the situation was brought under control and the city remains peaceful. He added that the police are closely monitoring all developments. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe have constituted a 13-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by an officer of SP rank. The SIT also includes two Deputy SPs and 10 Inspectors. They are investigating the 10 FIRs registered under relevant sections of the BNS, including charges of rioting and forgery,\u201d Sahni said.<\/p>\n

When asked about the police objecting to people displaying \u2018I love Muhammad\u2019 hoardings and posters, Sahni said, \u201cThe posters were never an issue. In fact, even before last Friday\u2019s incident, we had informed the organisers of the gathering about this. However, when they took the law into their own hands by pelting stones at the police, we were compelled to take action,\u201d Sahni said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who want to put up posters saying \u2018I Love Muhammad\u2019 at their homes, mosques, or Idgahs are free to do so. It is their personal religious matter. However, organising gatherings, holding marches, and creating a ruckus in the name of \u2018I Love Muhammad\u2019 will not be allowed,\u201d the DIG asserted.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe incident in Kanpur was different. People should avoid repeating it in other cities,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

In August, Kanpur Police had booked nine persons over \u2018I Love Muhammad\u2019 posters and a lightboard \u2014 triggering protests not just in Uttar Pradesh but in Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Karnataka. <\/p>\n

The lightboard was part of the annual Barawafat procession in Kanpur, held to commemorate the birth of Prophet Mohammad. Kanpur Police, however, had said the FIR was not over the installation of the board, but over an incident in which religious posters were torn.<\/p>\n

Asked whether the police had removed such posters in Bareilly city, Sahni responded, \u201cThis information is incorrect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sahni said there was a call for a gathering on September 26 by Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief, Maulana Tauqeer Khan, and others. \u201cThey had already been advised to avoid large gatherings and refrain from holding any marches, as disturbances were anticipated by security agencies. We informed them about the ongoing Navratri festival. The shops were open and crowded. Despite our repeated requests and appeals, they assembled and attempted to incite unrest,\u201d Sahni said.
\nSo far, police have arrested a total of 84 people, including Tauqeer, for their alleged role in the protests. <\/p>\n

Ahead of this Friday\u2019s prayers, Home Secretary Gaurav Dayal in Lucknow<\/a> issued an order to suspend internet services from Thursday until Saturday. <\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Deputy Inspector General (Bareilly Range) Ajay Kumar Sahni said people who want to put up posters saying \u2018I Love Muhammad\u2019 at their homes, mosques, or Idgahs are free to do 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