Chandrashekhar Azad put under house arrest while trying to visit Bareilly

Saharanpur: Bhim Army chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad was placed under house arrest in Saharanpur on Thursday as he attempted to visit Bareilly to meet families affected by the police crackdown on the ‘I Love Muhammad’ campaign and the recent lathi charge in the city.

Questioning the move, Azad said, “If everything is well, why am I being stopped? If nothing wrong has happened to my Muslim brothers in Bareilly? No injustice is being done? Then why does the Yogi government want to stop me from going there relying on the might of its police?”

He accused the government of authoritarian behavior, saying that if “dictators” remained intent on surveillance, his movement had resolved to continue delivering justice to Bahujan society.

In a statement, the Bhim Army said attempts to silence victims and curb their fight for rights would not be tolerated. “We will continue to fight for justice and always stand with society,” it said.

Earlier, Azad wrote on X, demanding an end to the arrest and harassment of Muslims, arbitrary police raids and bulldozer actions. He also called for the withdrawal of “false cases” and the release of detainees, while urging strict action against those responsible.

He alleged that incidents such as the arrest of a youth in Shamli for writing “I Love Muhammad” on his chest and the police lathi charge in Bareilly on 26 September were part of a “planned conspiracy to defame people of a particular religion to gain vote banks,” describing them as “the epitome of the government’s dictatorship and arrogance.”

According to Azad, Muslims in Bareilly had only attempted to submit a peaceful memorandum, but were denied permission even to offer namaz. He accused police of launching the lathi charge “to please their masters,” leaving innocents injured.

He further claimed Muslims were being collectively punished with false accusations of using pistols, petrol bombs and acid bottles, despite video evidence showing stone-pelting from rooftops was part of a “well-thought-out conspiracy.” He alleged that detainees were being “brutally beaten in police stations, paraded in front of the media, and their homes demolished with bulldozers,” while even women, children, imams and muezzins were being harassed.

Calling the crackdown a violation of constitutional guarantees of religious freedom under Articles 25 to 28, Azad said he remained determined to visit Bareilly to meet the victims.

His detention followed similar restrictions placed a day earlier on Saharanpur MP Imran Masood and former Amroha MP Kunwar Danish Ali, who were also prevented from travelling to the protest-hit city.