Bareilly Braces for Unease: Aerial Drones Hover as Internet Goes Dark Before Critical Friday Prayers
MEERUT/BAREILLY: Authorities in Bareilly have cut off internet access, encompassing mobile data, broadband, and SMS capabilities, starting Thursday afternoon in anticipation of potential disturbances during Friday’s congregational prayers. A government order stipulates that these restrictions will persist from 3 p.m. on October 2 until 3 p.m. on October 4. In response to the heightened alert, law enforcement has ramped up presence throughout the Bareilly division’s four districts, stationing substantial personnel on roadways and launching drones for overhead monitoring. Certain high-risk neighborhoods in the city resembled barricaded strongholds, with numerous streets and alleys standing eerily empty.
City Magistrate Alankar Agnihotri explained, “Internet will remain suspended for 48 hours, considering the sensitivity of the situation.” These measures stem directly from violent incidents last week, sparked by a procession following Friday prayers amid controversy surrounding the ‘I Love Muhammad’ slogan. Officers employed baton charges to restore order, resulting in the detention of more than 80 individuals to date, among them influential religious leader and Ittehad-e-Millat Council head Tauqeer Raza Khan, along with his key aides Dr. Nafees Khan and Nadeem Khan.
On Thursday, the Ala Hazrat Association called on residents to conduct Friday prayers calmly and disperse immediately afterward. Speaking from the Sunni Markaz at Dargah Ala Hazrat, Jamaat Raza-e-Mustafa’s national vice-president Salman Hasan Khan exhorted mosque leaders and worshippers alike to uphold tranquility, steer clear of unfounded reports, and align with official directives. He further advocated for dedicating portions of the Friday addresses to invocations for communal accord.
Apprehension lingered in predominantly Muslim enclaves over prospective governmental interventions. Meanwhile, officials from the Bareilly Development Authority initiated inspections of local structures to detect building code infractions. Properties lacking proper blueprints or breaching zoning rules face impending citations, closures, and potential razing. Authority Vice-Chairman Manikandan A declared, “Action is being taken at every level against those accused of rioting and their supporters. Every illegal brick will be accounted for. This drive will serve as a lesson to accused and a warning to others who break the law.”
Elsewhere in Saharanpur, Bhim Army leader Chandrashekhar Azad found himself confined to his residence on Thursday, as he intended to console relatives of violence victims from the prior unrest. Azad charged the administration with “using police to silence victims and opposition voices” and pressed for a neutral investigation into the clashes. Saharanpur Senior Superintendent of Police Ashish Tiwari informed TOI, “Following a letter from Bareilly district magistrate, police force from Fatehpur and Dehat police stations were deployed outside Azad’s house in Chhutmalpur area of Saharanpur. His presence in Bareilly might lead to law-and-order issues in that city.” The previous day, authorities similarly restricted two Congress figures—Saharanpur MP Imran Masood and ex-Amroha MP Kunwar Danish Ali—preventing their trip to Bareilly.