After Bareilly violence, accused’s baraat ghar razed in ‘routine’ demolition drive

The banquet hall being demolished by the authorities, in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, on Saturday.

Over a week after the ‘I Love Muhammad’ row sparked violence in Bareilly, the district administration on Saturday conducted a demolition drive targeting illegal constructions across the district, including a banquet hall owned by one of the men arrested in connection with the clashes.

According to a report by The Indian Express, the Bareilly Development Authority (BDA) demolished Raza Palace, owned by accused Dr Nafees Khan in the Jakhira area. The 65-year-old was arrested, along with his son Farhan, 32, last Wednesday. Police have alleged that the father-son duo helped gather the crowd on the day of the clashes.

During the drive, a flag march was also conducted throughout the area and people were urged to maintain peace and order. BDA Vice-Chairman (V-C) Dr Manikandan, who was present during the drive, was quoted by The Indian Express as saying that it was a routine action and was not linked to the violence.

“The baarat ghar belonged to Dr Nafees. A notice was issued to him in 2024 that the structure was illegal. A demolition order was issued on May 17, 2025. As per directions of the Supreme Court and High Court, we gave him 30 days to file an appeal. Now, there is no appeal pending,” he added.

“We have been demolishing illegal buildings and it has nothing to do with the law and order situation. This is a routine affair. We are taking action against anyone who has constructed a building without getting [land] maps approved,” he said, adding that the action will continue.

As per the report, officials had earlier identified alleged illegal properties, linked to associates of Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) president Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who has been accused of “masterminding” the violence and was arrested.

In Faiq Enclave, the administration sealed a house belonging to one Farhat, among those arrested, on allegations of sheltering Tauqeer.

Officials were quoted as saying that teams from the BDA and district administration inspected areas, including Faiq Enclave, Jagatpur, and the Old City, and found several structures built without approved land maps and some encroaching on government land.

In Silani, the BDA launched a campaign to demolish shops built illegally on drains and sewers while the Municipal Corporation carried out an anti-encroachment drive to remove unauthorised extensions of shops and houses.

Bareilly District Magistrate (DM) Avinash Singh also maintained that the demolition was a regular drive.

Speaking about the clashes, the DM was quoted as saying that the protesters had conspired to riot but the administration was alert and stopped it. “I had issued directions to district officials to engage in conversation with people as Section 163 of BNSS was in force in the city, which did not allow more than five people to gather. Some people went back but a few stayed behind to cause violence. It was controlled within one to one and half hours.”

“There has been no major damage to state property. But I see this as a way to slow down the development of the city. This episode has taken Bareilly back by 10 years. Investors will ask us what has been happening… Bareilly was leading in terms of development, but this has affected us,” he added.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya said 83 people have been arrested so far. “We are looking at CCTV footage to identify others involved. Ten FIRs have been registered in the case and a SIT, including 10 investigating officers, an SOG (Special Operations Group) team and three circle officers under the Superintendent of Police (City), will probe the case,” said Arya.

SP City Manush Pareek stated that certain WhatsApp groups were created 48 hours before the clash, and a team has been set up to identify those responsible.