Drama Over 'I Love Muhammad' Row: SP Delegation Stopped From Visiting Strife-Torn Bareilly

Last Updated:October 04, 2025, 12:54 IST

A 14-member Samajwadi Party delegation led by LoP Mata Prasad Pandey was stopped from visiting Bareilly, where tensions remain high after the 'I Love Muhammad' protests.

Uttar Pradesh LoP Mata Prasad Pandey was stopped from visiting Bareilly after the 'I Love Muhammad' protests. (PTI)

Tensions escalated over the ‘I Love Muhammad’ row as Uttar Pradesh Leader of Opposition, Mata Prasad Pandey, was stopped by police while trying to leave for tension-hit Bareilly, which was the centre of protests last week.

Pandey was leading a 14-member delegation of Samajwadi Party MPs and MLAs, who were directed by party chief Akhilesh Yadav to visit Bareilly after the ‘I Love Muhammad’ protests on September 26. However, the delegation was halted by police, who cited law and order concerns.

“As per the instructions of Akhilesh Yadav, a delegation of the Samajwadi Party our leadership was directed to visit Bareilly today. As soon as the government received this information, the government machinery deployed a large police force at our private residence in Lucknow to prevent us from going to Bareilly, which is completely unfortunate and undemocratic," alleged Pandey on X.

“This is a violation of the rights granted by the Constitution," he said. Later, speaking to news agency ANI, Pandey said he received a notice from police telling him not to leave his home.

“A letter came from the Bareilly DM. He also said that your arrival would spoil the atmosphere here, so you should not come here…. To hide their own shortcomings, they are not allowing us to go there. We will now talk to our party members and decide accordingly," he added.

SP’s Ziaur Rahman Under House Arrest

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman reportedly under house arrest, according to news agency PTI. Visuals showed a heavy police personnel deployed outside his house in Sambhal.

This came after clashes broke out in Bareilly on September 26, after a large crowd carrying ‘I Love Muhammad’ posters assembled outside a mosque in Kotwali area after Friday prayers. Protesters pelted stones at the police and vandalised cars in the area.

Police arrested 68 people in connection with the violence, including local cleric and Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Tauqeer Raza Khan, who called for the protest in Bareilly. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has warned of strict action against any attempt to disturb law and order.

BJP Reacts

Meanwhile, UP Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya called Akhilesh Yadav’s decision to send a delegation to Bareilly a “childish step".

Taking to X, he said, “The SP is known for its dirty politics of Muslim appeasement. The SP’s downfall and wipeout in the 2027 assembly elections are certain. A riot-free UP, good governance, and law and order are our identity and achievement. This is exactly what the SP supporters cannot stomach."

Tensions remain high in Bareilly as the local administration demolished the properties linked to Maulana Mohsin Raza, the son-in-law of Maulana Tauqeer Raza’s elder brother Mannani Miya.

With the 2027 state elections approaching, the event was allegedly intended to project Khan as a prominent Muslim leader in Western UP, drawing attention from major political parties.

What Is ‘I Love Muhammad’ Row?

The slogan ‘I Love Muhammad’, which first appeared during a Barawafat (Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi) procession in Kanpur’s Rawatpur on September 4, has since sparked protests and street processions by Muslim groups across multiple states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Telangana, and Maharashtra.

The controversy began when a group displayed an ‘I Love Muhammad’ banner along the Barawafat route, which drew objections from local Hindu groups. They alleged that a “new tradition" was being introduced in a space historically used for religious celebrations. Police intervened promptly to defuse tensions.

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