Amid the ongoing ‘I Love Mohammed’ row, police have been deployed outside SP leader and Uttar Pradesh LoP Mata Prasad Pandey’s residence on Saturday. The move came after he planned to lead a delegation to Bareilly, where tensions remain high
Police personnel stand guard patrol a sensitive area in Uttar Pradesh. Pic/PTI
In a significant political development amid the ongoing ‘I Love Mohammed’ row, the tension across the state does not look to settle down anytime soon. As reported by news agency IANS, police personnel have been deployed outside the residence of the Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, during the early hours of Saturday.
The move of force deployment outside LoP’s residence comes after the senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader was scheduled to lead a party delegation to Bareilly, where recent incidents have triggered tension and raised law and order concerns.
As per the reports, a 14-member delegation from the Samajwadi Party had announced plans to visit Bareilly on Saturday to assess the ground situation and hear public grievances following recent communal unrest in the region.
Reportedly, the team was to be led by Pandey himself, who had insisted the visit was intended as a peaceful, democratic attempt to understand the concerns of the people.
However, the Bareilly district administration, in view of keeping the situation under control, has already made it clear that no political visits will be allowed at this time, as per IANS.
Citing the sensitive nature of the situation, officials have stated that the presence of political leaders could risk disturbing the fragile peace.
A senior official from the district administration asserted that “the atmosphere remains tense, and any political activity could lead to escalation. Therefore, leaders attempting to reach Bareilly may be stopped en route or prevented from leaving their homes,” as cited by IANS.
Responding to the move, Pandey termed the administration’s action as “undemocratic” and a violation of constitutional rights.
Furthermore, the Uttar Pradesh Leader of Opposition said that, “We only wish to meet people and understand what has happened. Stopping us like this is against the spirit of democracy,” as per IANS.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government has also imposed a 48-hour suspension of Internet and SMS services across the Bareilly district. The order will be effective until 3 pm on October 4, including mobile internet, broadband, and messaging platforms.
According to a Home Department notification, the decision was taken to prevent the spread of rumours and inflammatory content via social media and messaging apps that could probably turn the situation even more concerning.
The situation in Bareilly remains under close watch, with additional security forces deployed and communication channels restricted as authorities work to restore calm.
(With inputs from IANS)
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