Congress MP Imran Masood was placed under house arrest on Wednesday morning, October 1, in Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, he was preparing to leave for violence-hit Bareilly district, where tensions had erupted during the 'I Love Muhammad' protest after Friday prayers.
Masood was set to head a Congress delegation to meet the Bareilly DIG and assess the situation on the ground. Citing security, law and order situation in the area, local authorities barred him from leaving his house and placed him under house arrest. Another Congress leader and former MP from Amroha, Kunwar Danish Ali, was placed under house arrest before his Bareilly visit, with police citing law-and-order concerns, reported the news agency IANNS.
"We had planned to go to Bareilly, and the entire delegation was on its way. There, we were supposed to meet the officials the DIG and the ADG and review the prevailing situation. We are guardians of peace and, under no circumstances, do we promote hatred," said Imran Masood.
Bareilly Protest Violence
The Congress delegation's visit comes in the wake of violent protests in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, which broke out after Friday prayers. Over 1,000 people began protesting outside a mosque after prayers. Police lathi-charged the crowd before they could enter the Islamia Ground, resulting in injuries to people vandalising vehicles.
The 'I Love Muhammad' agitation was triggered by an FIR filed in Kanpur over an Eid Milad poster showing 'I Love Muhammad'. As per police, the protest turned violent when sections of the crowd began pelting stones, vandalising vehicles and even firing in the air.
The police responded with a lathi charge and tear gas, leading to a stampede-like situation. At least 10 police personnel were injured. Authorities, on the other day, arrested 50 people with the help of CCTV footage. Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan was also arrested.
FIRs have been registered at multiple police stations, and police teams are combing through video footage and phone records to identify additional suspects. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath condemned the violence and ordered strict action. “Every miscreant should be identified and arrested,” he said, adding that video footage and social media posts should be used to track those involved. He also warned against rumour-mongering and attempts to incite caste or communal tensions, especially ahead of Dussehra.