Moulana Tauqeer Raza arrested for 'I Love Muhammad' protest in Bareilly, 'Will teach him a lesson', says CM Adityanath

September 28, 2025 by News Desk

A day after violent clashes between demonstrators and police in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that those responsible would face strict action, warning that the state would deliver a “lesson so strong that generations will remember it.”

The protests were held on the call of cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan, chief of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, who has since been arrested along with seven others. The demonstration was in response to police action against participants in a September 4 Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Kanpur who carried “I Love Muhammad” posters.

Speaking at a function in Lucknow, Mr. Adityanath said the Bareilly cleric “forgot whose government is in place” and stressed that there would be no road blockades or curfews. “We will send a message so strong that even future generations will hesitate to riot,” he said.

The Chief Minister added that since 2017, his government has dealt firmly with rioters and “responded in ways they understand,” which, he argued, has ushered in a new era of peace and security in Uttar Pradesh.

Criticising previous governments, Mr. Adityanath alleged that earlier regimes compromised with rioters and mafias. “Every district was handed over to mafia elements to run a parallel government. People in power bowed before them, while daughters, traders, and farmers felt unsafe,” he said. He reiterated that his government had “brought in the bulldozer” to uproot mafia influence and place the state on the path of development.

Meanwhile, in Lucknow, posters reading “I Love Adityanath” and “I Love Bulldozer” appeared across the city, put up by BJP Yuva Morcha leader Amit Tripathi, in response to the “I Love Muhammad” campaign that had triggered the protests.