Bareilly (UP), Oct 13 Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said rioters are now observing Urs inside the jail, and they know they will lose their ancestral wealth for rioting.
Addressing a teachers’ programme in Bareilly, Adityanath made an apparent reference to Ittehad-e-Millat Council founder Maulana Tauqeer Raza and said, “Sharadiya Navratri is underway. Before 2017, whenever a festival was around, riots would have certainly broken out in Bareilly. But now, rioters are observing Urs inside the jail. Now, if anyone engages in riots, what is the price they pay? They will lose even their ancestral wealth. Uttar Pradesh is now defined by festivals, not nuisances.”
Tauqeer Raza has been jailed in connection with the violence during a rally in Bareilly in September last year.
According to the police complaint, Tauqeer Raza had given a call for Muslims to assemble at Islamiya Inter College after Friday prayers on September 26, 2025, to protest against denial of permission by authorities for a rally in support of the ‘I Love Mohammed’ campaign.
Despite prohibitory orders clamped under Section 163 of Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, a large crowd proceeded from Maulana Azad Inter College to Shyamganj Chauraha, holding placards and raising provocative slogans. When police personnel tried to stop the rally, the crowd turned violent.
Speaking at the teachers’ programme, Adityanath said Bareilly, which was earlier associated with “jhumka” (earring), is now known as “Nath Nagari” (City of Shiva).
He added that Bareilly has regained its “mythological identity”.
Speaking about Sambhal, the chief minister said, “Sambhal, where people once feared to visit, is now bustling with activity. Fear and terror are no longer present there. Those who used to terrorise others are now themselves terrified. There are many mafia who wet their pants when they see the vehicle of the Uttar Pradesh Police.
(PTI News)
