They were scheduled to visit Bareilly Wednesday morning but were restricted to their residences since the night of Tuesday (Sept 30), reported news agency PTI.
A police team has been guarding their houses since then and no official statements have been made as of yet.
Masood addressed the reporters at his residence and said, “We follow the Gandhian ideology. We were to leave at 6:50 am for Bareilly to meet the DIG and ADG and return by 1:30 pm. But the government is using such tactics to hide its failures.”
“It is the government and the police who have made the situation abnormal. Muslims are being selectively targeted. One set of laws applies to us, another to others,” he added, while responding to a question whether their visit could have made the situation worse, as per PTI.
Violent clashes broke out on Sept 26 when more than 2,000 people gathered outside a local leader’s house and a mosque, protesting against the cancellation of the “I Love Muhammad” protests proposed by Maulana Tauqeer Raza, a local cleric and Chief of Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC).
Two ‘outsiders’ arrested by policeÂ
In another development in the matter, the police arrested two people allegedly involved in the Sept 26 violence, after an encounter in GB Ganj area on Oct 1.
Both the men sustained injuries by the bullet and are currently hospitalised, receiving treatment under police custody, PTI reported citing a senior police officer.
“Idrees and Iqbal, originally residents of neighbouring Shahjahanpur district, were actively involved in the violence that erupted in Kotwali area last week,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anurag Arya said.
“They were apprehended after a brief exchange of fire with the police. Both received bullet injuries during the encounter and were taken to the hospital for treatment. They are now in custody,” he added.
What is the ‘I Love Mohammad’ saga all about?
The controversy came to light on September 9, when Kanpur Police filed an FIR against 24 individuals for allegedly installing boards inscribed with ‘I Love Mohammad,’ on a public road on September 4 during a Barawafat procession, as per PTI. The FIR named nine people, while 15 were unidentified.
The move had triggered objections from Hindu organisations, alleging a “new trend” towards deliberately provoking emotions. The matter gained momentum after AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi started to assert that it was not a crime to say ‘I Love Mohammad.’
The controversy spread across different parts of UP, and even to states such as Karnataka and Uttarakhand, where protests and police crackdowns were reported.
