UP on high alert for Friday prayers: Internet shut down in Bareilly, 10,000 soldiers deployed

October 3, 2025

Bareilly: Uttar Pradesh is on high alert ahead of Friday prayers. Bareilly has been turned into a cantonment. 10,000 police, PAC, and RAF personnel are deployed. Drones are monitoring every inch of the area. The internet is shut down.

The internet was shut down again in Bareilly on Thursday, six days after the riots. Internet services will resume after 48 hours. The internet, which was shut down at 3 pm on October 2nd, will resume at 3 pm on October 4th. Following the riots on September 26th, the internet was shut down for 60 hours.

Police conducted flag marches on bikes in Sambhal, Kanpur, Prayagraj, and Pilibhit. A large police presence was seen outside mosques in Sambhal. Commandos conducted a mock drill in Varanasi. Similarly, police are on alert in Amroha, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Fatehpur.

Know what happened last Friday

A major conspiracy has emerged in the Bareilly riots. The main figure in the conspiracy is Maulana Tauqeer Raza, national president of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC). According to the police investigation, an announcement was made before Friday prayers on September 26th, calling for prayers to begin at 1 p.m. in all mosques in Bareilly.

Usually, prayers are held in mosques between 12 and 2:20 pm. Ten thousand people gathered at various mosques that day and were directed to the Naumahalla Mosque. It was said that the government was filing cases even for writing “I love Mohammad.”

Maulana Tauqeer Raza himself was supposed to be present at the mosque. Eventually, people arrived. Police quickly erected barricades. However, shouting slogans, the crowd insisted on going to the Naumahalla Mosque. Police appealed to the crowd to go home. The crowd began shouting, shouting, and pushing. Police then resorted to lathi charge.

A total of 10 FIRs have been registered so far. Of the 2,500 rioters, 200 have been named. So far, 81 rioters have been sent to jail.