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Bareilly Clampdown After 'I Love Muhammad' Clashes: Cleric Arrested, 48-Hour Internet Blackout

Officials describe a pre-planned conspiracy, prompting mass FIRs, arrests, raids, plus a 48-hour internet shutdown.

Overview

  • Police say 39 people have been arrested, including cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan, who along with seven others was sent to 14 days’ judicial custody and shifted to Fatehgarh Central Jail.
  • Authorities registered 10 cases naming 180 people and listing about 2,500 unidentified suspects across multiple police stations using video evidence to identify alleged rioters.
  • Internet services were suspended for 48 hours as roughly 7,000 police and paramilitary personnel conducted flag marches and patrols, with the city tense but calm on Sunday.
  • Officials reported stone-pelting, vandalism and gunfire sounds in videos, with at least 10 police personnel injured as forces used lathi charge and tear gas to disperse crowds.
  • Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath vowed tough action against those accused of instigating unrest, while a civil society group urged restraint over what it called punitive responses to religious expression.