Bareilly: Bhim Army chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad was placed under house arrest in Saharanpur while attempting to visit families in Bareilly affected by the police crackdown on the “I Love Muhammad” campaign. Police officials cited security concerns and stopped him from proceeding further.
Azad strongly criticized the Uttar Pradesh government’s actions. He questioned why he was prevented from meeting the victims if, as claimed, the situation in Bareilly was under control. In a detailed statement, Azad alleged that Muslims were being targeted through fabricated charges and collective punishment. He pointed to the arrests in Shamli for writing “I Love Muhammad” on one’s chest and the lathi charge on protestors in Bareilly on September 26 as examples of what he described as authoritarian tactics.
He accused the police of brutality and working to “please their masters,” injuring innocent people who had gathered to submit a memorandum. Azad also questioned allegations that Muslims used pistols, petrol bombs, and acid bottles, stating that videos circulating online suggest that stone pelting from rooftops was part of a planned conspiracy.
Highlighting the constitutional provisions of Articles 25 to 28, Azad called the crackdown an assault on the religious freedoms of Muslims. He demanded that the government stop arrests and raids, withdraw what he described as false cases, and punish the actual culprits.
Earlier, Saharanpur MP Imran Masood and former Amroha MP Kunwar Danish Ali were also placed under house arrest when they tried to reach Bareilly. So far, police have detained more than 80 individuals, including prominent scholar Maulana Tauqeer Raza and his associates, in connection with the protest.
