UP CM Adityanath Warns Harsh Action After Bareilly Violence

 

Following violent clashes between protesters and police in Bareilly on Friday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a sharp warning, saying that those responsible would face consequences so severe that “future generations will hesitate to riot.”

 

Addressing a public gathering in Lucknow on Saturday, Adityanath remarked that the cleric leading the protest in Bareilly had “forgotten whose government is in the state.” He declared that no road blockades or curfews would be tolerated and that a strong message would be sent to deter similar unrest.

 

Police have arrested cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan, chief of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council, along with seven others in connection with the violence. The clashes broke out after Khan called for demonstrations over police action against individuals carrying “I Love Muhammad” posters during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Kanpur earlier in September.

 

Criticism of Previous Governments

 

During his speech, Adityanath accused earlier administrations of shielding criminals and allowing mafias to operate freely. He alleged that influential leaders were complicit in extortion and corruption, creating an environment where “neither daughters, traders, nor farmers were safe.”

 

“For those anti-social elements who once had a free hand, we have brought in the bulldozer,” he said, referring to his government’s policy of demolishing properties linked to crime and unrest. He asserted that his administration had dismantled mafia networks and put Uttar Pradesh on a path of development.

 

The Chief Minister also argued that the state was not inherently “BIMARU” (a term used for economically lagging regions) but had been held back by dynastic politics, caste divisions, and a corrupt mindset.

 

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