Tauqeer Raza Khan, accused of instigating violence in Bareilly during the 'I Love Muhammad' protest (Photo: ANI)
Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, the controversial and influential cleric, politician from Uttar Pradesh, has once again hit the headlines after being named as the suspected mastermind of violent ‘I Love Muhammad’ protests in Bareilly. The riots, in which dozens of policemen were injured and caused widespread pandemonium, has put Khan in the limelight, showing his powerful but disputatious role in the state.
Khan, a relative of Ala Hazret’s, the venerated founder of the Barelvi Sunni community, has been a kingmaker and mischief-maker in Bareilly and its neighbouring Rohilkhand region for a long time. The central figure and head of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), he is a regional political party with the motive of unifying Muslim voices in Uttar Pradesh. He has had political influence enough to influence local elections and support candidates from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Bahujan Samaj Party at various times.
Born in the 1970s, Tauqeer Raza Khan is the great-grandson of Ahmed Raza Khan (Ala Hazrat) and younger brother of Maulana Subhan Raza Khan, the present custodian of the Bareilly dargah. Khan has used his clerical heritage to enter politics, having once been a Congress MLC and even drawing the notice of Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party in 2013, who referred to him as a “respectable person.”
Khan is known to be controversial. He has been convicted as the mastermind of the 2010 Bareilly riots, where dozens were injured and temples were attacked. He has been booked for giving anti-Hindu speeches as well and in 2007 has been reported to have announced a Rs 5-lakh reward on writer Taslima Nasrin. Police state that Khan and his staff used around 16,000 people in the latest Bareilly riot, mobilized by WhatsApp groups, and urged them to pelt police officials with stones. Empty cartridges and acid bombs were said to have been seized from the spot.
After the protests, Khan was one among the 73 arrested, and has been placed in 14-day judicial custody. The Uttar Pradesh government has targeted his properties, with police action and bulldozers against properties owned by him. His network is being investigated by authorities, and the degree of his role in the violence.
The ‘I Love Muhammad’ trend, which began in the Barawafat procession in Kanpur, have created a cultural cascade effect in Uttar Pradesh. The Hindu community began the ‘I Love Mahadev’ movement in Varanasi, and devotees took their faith to a new level tattoos affirming their love for Lord Shiva. Tattoo shops saw an increase in orders for “I Love Mahadev” tattoos, especially from the youth.
While Tauqeer Raza Khan is behind bars in judicial custody, questions continue to arise regarding the consequences of his hold in Bareilly and the Rohilkhand belt. The cleric’s synergy of political machinations and religious clout continues to dominate the socio-political scene, both as a kingmaker and a controversy magnet.
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience covering Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes that every voice matters, and journalism has a vital role to play in amplifying those voices. Sofia is committed to creating impact and shedding light on stories that truly matter. Beyond her work in the newsroom, she is also a music enthusiast who enjoys singing.
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