Ala Hazrat family slams police crackdown in Bareilly
Congress MP Imran Masood decries selective targeting of Muslims
Bareilly/Saharanpur: The influential family of Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan of Bareilly and Congress MP Imran Masood have strongly condemned the ongoing police crackdown against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh following the arrest of Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) president Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, saying innocent Muslims are being persecuted under a discriminatory system.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the family of Tauqeer Raza Khan, who hails from the prominent Sufi-Barelvi Ala Hazrat clan, accused the police of implicating Muslims in false cases and arresting them on fabricated charges of attacking security forces with firearms, petrol bombs and acid bottles. In a statement, his elder brother Maulana Tauseef Raza Khan said police had raided mosques, harassed imams and worshippers, and even obstructed namaz at some places, calling it a blatant violation of Muslims’ constitutional right to practice their religion freely.
The family alleged that detainees were paraded before the media in injured condition, denied food and water in custody, and that women and children were also subjected to harassment. They further said that many houses were demolished under the bulldozer policy and claimed that some miscreants were allowed to pelt stones at both Muslims and police near Indira Market to disturb peace, but no action was taken against them. They maintained that if Tauqeer Raza had been allowed to submit his memorandum peacefully, unrest could have been avoided.
Meanwhile, Congress MP from Saharanpur, Imran Masood, was placed under house arrest on Wednesday to prevent him from visiting Bareilly. Masood told reporters that he and his delegation had planned to meet senior officials to review the situation, but the authorities barred them. He said the government’s approach was discriminatory, pointing out that in other incidents of violence where Muslims were attacked, the administration failed to act, but in Bareilly Muslims alone were punished.
“They lathi-charge us, use batons and bullets on us, which clearly shows there are two laws in this country—one for us and one for others,” Masood said, urging Ulema to ensure mosques remain places of worship and not turned into pretexts for police crackdowns.
The unrest erupted on September 26 when a large crowd gathered outside a mosque in Bareilly after Friday prayers carrying “I Love Muhammad (PBUH)” posters. Following the cancellation of a proposed demonstration, clashes broke out and police launched a massive crackdown, arresting Tauqeer Raza Khan the next day.
The Ala Hazrat family, descendants of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan (1856–1921), the distinguished Islamic jurist and leader of the Barelvi movement, warned that continued excesses would compel them to take concrete steps.
