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Before Tiranga Yatra, Bareilly cleric, aides placed under house arrest
The action followed after Raza announced plans to start a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ from Bareilly to Delhi to hand over a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu in which ban on Hindutva outfits had been sought.
Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza and his three associates were placed under house arrest on Tuesday night for three days.
The action followed after Raza announced plans to start a ‘Tiranga Yatra’ from Bareilly to Delhi to hand over a memorandum to President Droupadi Murmu in which ban on Hindutva outfits had been sought. Officials said Raza hadn’t sought permission for his Delhi march.
The Moradabad police had registered an FIR against Raza on Sunday for allegedly making provocative remarks. District magistrate, Bareilly, Shivakant Dwivedi confirmed that Raza and his associates Nafees, Nadeem and his spokesman Munir Idrishi were placed under house arrest. A large number of police personnel have been deployed around the Hazrat Dargah complex, where Raza lives.
Also Read | 'What if our youths start demanding Muslim rashtra': Maulana Tauqeer Raza
Dwivedi said, if required, the cleric could be detained further to ensure peace and law and order in the district. Dwivedi said section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code, that prohibits gathering of people at one place, is imposed in the district.
Bareilly’s city magistrate Renu Singh said Raza had not taken permission to take out the march. She said Raza had only informed senior officials verbally about his plans. Police said Raza and his associates were detained on the basis of inputs provided by intelligence agencies.
She said senior officials were monitoring the situation around Raza’s residence since morning.
SP (city) Rahul Bhati said PAC and other staff in the Police Lines have also been put on alert. He said if needed, medical care would be provided to those put under house arrest.
Speaking to media in Moradabad last week, Raza had said that if those demanding separate state of Khalistan are tried for treason, shouldn’t the same be done to those who demand a ‘Hindu Rashtra.’
Raza was also heard saying in the viral video: “What would happen if our youth started demanding a Muslim nation? Some fanatics are sowing the seeds of hatred in the country. Those who do this and their supporters are neither well-wishers of society nor of the country. They are traitors”. He had alleged that hatred against Muslims was rising and mosques and madrasas needed to be protected.
