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Bareilly violence: Future generations will think twice before rioting, says Yogi Adityanath
Maulana in Bareilly ‘forgot who wields power in the state,’ says CM; Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza arrested
A day after Bareilly witnessed violence post Friday prayers, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said a Maulana in Bareilly “forgot who holds power in the state” and assumed “he could disrupt the system at will.”
“We made it clear that there will be no blockade and no curfew,” he asserted at an event in Lucknow.
Adityanath stressed that the action taken by his government will serve as a lesson.
“The lesson we have taught will make future generations think twice before indulging in riots. What kind of way is this to stop governance? Before 2017, this was the norm in UP, but since 2017, we haven’t even allowed curfew to be imposed. Uttar Pradesh’s story of development begins here,” he said.
In connection with Friday’s violence, the police took Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza into custody and later arrested him, Bareilly SSP SSP Anurag Arya confirmed.
The CM also launched a sharp attack on previous governments, alleging that rioters were invited to the chief minister’s residence and honoured.
“Rioters were welcomed, professional criminals and mafias were saluted by those in power. The ruling leaders even shook hands with their dogs. You must have seen how the head of the government felt proud shaking hands with a mafia’s dog,” he remarked.
Speaking at an event in Shravasti, the chief minister also said, “There are some people who dislike peace and welfare. Whenever a Hindu festival or celebration approaches, they become overheated. To cool their heat, we have to resort to denting and painting... Faith is a matter of conscience, not a subject of protest... If you vandalise in the name of faith, attack pedestrians in the name of faith... attack the police, then we won’t let you go..chedhoge to chodenge nahi aur chodenge nahi toh fir chootoge bhi nahi.”
“Anarchy is not acceptable. We will give respect to everyone, we will provide security to everyone, but if someone dares to tamper with security, attacks innocent citizens, then such action will be taken against them that it will become an example for coming generations...Spoiling the atmosphere during festivals and celebrations is not acceptable. I will say again that if someone dares to cause a disturbance by protesting on the streets...they will have to pay a heavy price for it...,” he further said, according to an ANI report.
On Friday night, Adityanath held a video conference with senior officials, directing them to take strict action against those involved in the unrest.
The unrest broke out during protests over the ‘I Love Muhammad’ controversy. So far, 10 FIRs have been registered against 1,700 unidentified and several named individuals. Police said 39 arrests have been made.
Initially, Raza was placed under house arrest, but late at night, he was moved from Faiq Enclave to an undisclosed location for questioning. Officials are examining the mobile phones of Raza and his supporters to ascertain their role in the violence.
