'I Love Muhammad' Poster Row: Stone Pelting Reported In UP's Bareilly After Friday Prayers, Police Resort To Lathi Charge - VIDEO

Bareilly: A clash broke out between the police and protesters carrying “I Love Muhammad" posters in Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly on Friday. The protestors were reportedly shouting slogans like “Allahu Akbar" and created a ruckus after the Friday prayers. Protesters also allegedly pelted stones at the police.

Protestors had reportedly gathered to submit a memorandum to the government and demanded to enter the Islamia Ground. The Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) and paramilitary forces were also deployed in the area.

Visuals of a police lathi charge have surfaced online. The videos show protesters falling to the ground while trying to flee the scene.

Islamic cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza had called for a sit-in protest at Islamia Ground on Friday over the “I Love Mohammad" poster row, alleging instances of derogatory remarks against the Prophet in different parts of the country, including Shahjahanpur.

Authorities in Bareilly conducted a flag march as a clear message that any attempt to disturb peace would not be tolerated. District Magistrate Avinash Singh declared Section 163 of the BNS in the area, prohibiting any form of protest without permission.

"We are all on the streets. There is complete peace. There is no disorder of any kind... When the Force was conducting a flag march, some miscreants came out onto the streets shouting slogans... Their arrest will be ensured," IG Ajay Sahni was qouted saying by news agency ANI.

How the Controversy Started

The row started on 4 September during the Barawafat (Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi) procession in Kanpur. Groups of youths marched with green flags and posters reading “I Love Muhammad”, while distributing sweets and singing devotional songs. Later that evening, similar banners appeared on shopfronts and traffic points in Beconganj and Anwarganj.

According to locals, the act was purely devotional. However, some Hindu groups objected, arguing that this was a “new tradition” not associated with Barawafat celebrations.

Tensions rose after police removed a few banners citing lack of prior permission. Videos circulating online showed arguments and scuffles between residents and police. Crowds gathered demanding reinstatement of the posters, prompting police to use mild force and detain ten people.

Soon, similar disputes surfaced across Uttar Pradesh. In Bareilly, a proposed hoarding near Dargah Ala Hazrat was blocked by police, leading to a brief sit-in. In Sambhal, municipal workers erased wall graffiti with the same slogan, sparking late-night demonstrations.

On 9 September, Kanpur police filed FIRs against 24 people, accusing them of disturbing communal harmony by introducing a “new custom” during the procession.