UP Cleric Arrested After His 'I Love Muhammad' Video Sparks Massive Protest

Tauqeer Raza, a local cleric and chief of Ittehad-e-Millat Council, whose call for protest supporting the 'I love Muhammad' campaign led to chaos in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly, was arrested on Saturday. According to officials, a huge crowd, which continued to swell, had gathered outside Raza's house after he posted a video in support of the campaign.

He is currently being interrogated, officials said.

District Magistrate Avinash Singh told NDTV that Raza's representatives had been clearly informed that permission for any programme or procession had not been granted. "We had told his representative that Section 163 of the BNSS had been imposed and that no gathering would be allowed. They had agreed and assured us that they would not hold the march. However, some people tried to go ahead after Friday prayers, and that led to the situation turning tense," the District Magistrate said.

Bareilly Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said that while most people dispersed peacefully, a section of the crowd tried to disturb law and order.

"Around 80 to 90 per cent people left after prayers, but a few individuals attempted to provoke others and move towards Islamia Ground. We have reason to believe that some external criminal elements were also involved," the SSP told NDTV.

Seven other people have also been arrested in connection with the incident.  While over 40 people have been taken into custody, a case has been filed against 1,700 unidentified people under sections of rioting, obstruction of government work, and assault on police personnel.

Massive chaos erupted in Bareilly after Friday prayers as the police launched a lathi charge to counter stone pelting by protesters who were holding demonstrations in support of the 'I love Muhammad' campaign. Officials said that 10 policemen were injured in the clash.

Videos showed a huge crowd gathered outside Raza's house, raising slogans and holding placards with 'I love Muhammad' written on them.

#WATCH | Protestors gathered outside Ala Hazrat Dargah & IMC chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan's house holding 'I Love Mohammad' placards after the Friday prayers in Bareily, UP. Heavy security is deployed at both spots. pic.twitter.com/rcZSAQyH8S

— ANI (@ANI) September 26, 2025

Top officials have directed authorities in Bareilly to take stern action against those disrupting normalcy.

This is the latest stand-off in a row that began weeks ago over an 'I love Muhammad' poster. A similar violence took place during protests in Uttar Pradesh's Mau after Friday prayers as some demonstrators allegedly pelted stones upon being asked to return home. The police then resorted to a lathi charge to disperse the crowd.

The protests in support of the 'I love Muhammad' campaign have spread across the country. Earlier this week, a group of minority community members damaged several shops and vehicles and threw stones at a village in Gujarat's Gandhinagar district. Posters with 'I love Mohammed' text written on them cropped up in Karnataka's Davangere, leading to stone pelting between two groups. Unrest was also reported in Uttar Pradesh's Unnao, Maharajganj, Lucknow, and Kaushambi.

The 'I love Muhammad' row and a counter 'I love Mahadev' response

The controversy began on September 4 during the Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur, when a 'I love Muhammad' poster was put on a tent along the route. Local Hindu groups argued that the poster was deliberately installed at a location where Hindu festivals like Ram Navami are celebrated.

Soon after, tensions rose between the two communities. While the Hindus alleged that their posters were torn and taken down, Muslims claimed that they were targeted for expressing love for the Prophet. The issue also made it to social media with #ILoveMuhammad trending online.

Weeks later, a counter-campaign emerged in Varanasi as religious leaders protested against the 'I love Muhammad' posters with 'I love Mahadev' placards. The religious leaders described their protest as a response to allegedly "provocative" attempts to unsettle communal peace.