Key Points

Vinod Bansal took to his social media platform 'X' and stated, "Some Muslim leaders and political parties are dreaming of turning the country into a disturbed Bangladesh and Nepal by provoking and misleading Muslim youth in the name of 'I love Muhammad'."

He added, "Their actions suggest that they love not the Prophet Muhammad, but global terrorists like Jaish-e-Mohammed, Mohammad Masood Azhar, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, and Mohammad Ajmal Kasab and their organisations. You never tire of saying that Islam is a religion of peace, so why are these violence, riots, and attacks taking place in the name of Muhammad?"

What began as a seemingly routine decoration in Kanpur on the eve of Eid Milad-un-Nabi has, over the last three weeks, escalated into one of the most volatile religious controversies in recent times. A single illuminated banner reading 'I Love Muhammad', put up in the Syed Nagar locality on September 4, triggered crackdowns, FIRs, detentions, arrests, internet shutdowns, political sparring, and protests stretching from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The immediate flashpoint this past weekend was Bareilly, where a post-Friday prayer protest called by Muslim cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan turned violent, prompting police action, detentions, arrests, and an internet shutdown. The controversy has since taken on political, legal, and communal dimensions, raising critical questions about religious expression, constitutional rights, and law-and-order management.

The most explosive fallout of the controversy occurred in Bareilly on September 26. Shortly after Friday prayers, hundreds gathered in the streets near the Islamia locality, responding to the call of influential cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, leader of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council. He urged Muslims to join the nationwide 'I Love Muhammad' campaign, which had originated in Kanpur weeks earlier.

Placards, chants, and religious slogans marked the early moments as people assembled at various points in Bareilly, including outside the Ala Hazrat Dargah and near the residence of Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan. However, as the crowd moved toward Islamia Ground, reportedly to submit a memorandum to the administration, the situation spiralled out of control. According to police reports, stone-pelting and vandalism broke out. There were even reports of gunfire from unidentified persons, which prompted a swift lathi-charge by security forces.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav criticised the government's response soon after the crackdown. On the microblogging platform X, the former chief minister wrote: "Government functions with harmony and goodwill, not lathi charge."

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has also condemned the arrest of Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan and several others, and demanded their immediate release, according to a statement.

On Thursday, ahead of Friday prayers, Bareilly District Magistrate Avinash Singh said the administration was on full alert and assured that incidents like the violence on September 26 would not be allowed to recur. The clashes, he noted, followed the 'I Love Muhammad' campaign, and the district is enforcing the government's zero-tolerance policy to ensure peace.

- IANS