Bareilly, Oct 1 (PTI) The influential Ala Hazrat family on Wednesday alleged police excesses on Muslims in Bareilly following the arrest of Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) national president Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, a member of the clan, in connection with the violence during protests linked to the ‘I love Muhammad’ campaign.
District police and administration officials rejected the allegations, maintaining that strict action will be taken against anyone who tries to disturb peace and “no innocent will be touched”, even as leaders of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress urged authorities to pay heed to the complaints and not target any community.
Ala Hazrat and his descendants are a prominent Islamic scholarly family associated with the Barelvi movement. The family maintained that had Tauqeer Raza been allowed to submit his memorandum peacefully, the situation would not have escalated, but his arrest triggered unrest.
The family alleged that “innocent Muslims” were being targeted and subjected to collective punishment. A statement released by Tauqeer Raza’s elder brother, Maulana Tauseef Raza Khan, accused the police of filing false cases and arresting people on fabricated charges of attack on security forces with firearms, petrol bombs and acid bottles.
He warned the administration that if “atrocities” on Muslims do not stop, the family would be compelled to take “concrete steps.” The family alleged that the police raided mosques, harassed imams and worshippers, and even prevented people from offering namaz in some places.
“This is a blatant violation of the constitutional right of Muslims to freely practice their religion,” Tauseef Raza said. The family also claimed that police action had created unease not only in Bareilly Sharif but among “millions of Sunni Muslims across India and abroad.” It demanded an immediate halt to the arrests of Muslims, withdrawal of “false cases”, an end to bulldozer actions against their homes and alleged police excesses.
The family alleged that many detainees were paraded before the media in an injured state, they were denied food and water in custody, and that even “women and children were not spared”.
It cited a video shot purportedly near Indira Market and widely circulated on the internet, to claim that some people had pelted stones both at police and Muslims with the intention of disturbing peace, but no action was taken against them.
District Magistrate (DM) Avnish Kumar Singh did not directly comment on the statement by Tausif Raza Khan, but emphasised that the district administration remains fully alert following the recent events.
“No action will be taken against any innocent person”, DM Singh asserted, “but the strictest action will be ensured against those trying to disturb peace”.
Commenting on Tausif Raza’s statement, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anurag Arya rejected the allegations and asserted that they were acting within the ambit of the law.
“We will deal sternly with anyone who spoils the environment of Bareilly,” he warned.
Appealing to the public, the SSP said, “The peace of Bareilly will not be allowed to be disturbed under any circumstances. Citizens of the district should maintain restraint, obey the law, and not pay attention to any rumour or misleading information.” He reiterated the government’s policy that “criminals will not be spared, and the innocent will not be touched”.
Bareilly Mayor Umesh Gautam urged the citizens to exercise restraint in their speech, emphasising the need to work towards building communal harmony.
Senior BJP leader and MLC Kunwar Maharaj Singh said that Tausif Raza Khan should exercise restraint in his statements.
SP leader Bhagwat Saran Gangwar said that the police should not take unilateral action and that Maulana Tausif Raza Khan’s words should be taken seriously. He alleged that the Yogi government is “ruling by creating fear among Muslims.” A local leader of the Congress party, Professor Alauddin, called Maulana Tausif a responsible religious figure and said that the police should not arrest innocent people merely for being Muslim.
DIG of Police, Bareilly, Ajay Kumar Sahni said, “Whoever works to spoil the city’s atmosphere, no matter who that person is, we will take strict action.” Violent clashes were witnessed in Bareilly on September 26, when a crowd of over 2,000 people gathered outside a mosque in the Kotwali area after Friday prayers, which was followed by stone-pelting.
The unrest was triggered by the cancellation of a proposed protest over the ‘I Love Muhammad’ poster row called by Tauqeer Khan.
Ala Hazrat family patriarch Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (1856-1921) was a distinguished Islamic scholar, jurist, and Sufi mystic, renowned for his contributions to Islamic jurisprudence and his leadership in the Barelvi movement. PTI COR ABN CDN VN RT RT RT RT
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