A 14-member delegation of Samajwadi Party legislators, including Members of Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assembly, was reportedly prevented by police from visiting Bareilly on Saturday, October 4, 2025. The delegation, led by Uttar Pradesh’s Leader of Opposition, Mata Prasad Pandey, had planned to assess the situation in the violence-affected city but claimed they were confined to their residences.
Mata Prasad Pandey stated that police personnel were stationed outside the homes of all Samajwadi Party members intending to join the delegation, effectively putting them under house arrest.
He revealed that both the police and the Bareilly district magistrate sent letters, asserting that the delegation’s visit would ‘worsen the atmosphere’ in the city.
Pandey further accused the Yogi Adityanath government of obstructing their visit to ‘conceal its failures’ in managing the situation.
Bareilly had experienced significant unrest following Friday prayers last week.
In response, Uttar Pradesh Minister J.P.S. Rathore criticized the opposition, claiming their desire to visit Bareilly was merely an attempt to ‘vitiate the atmosphere.’ He assured that the government would not tolerate any disturbance to the city’s peace and stated that complete calm had been restored.
Speaking from his residence, Pandey confirmed the presence of a circle officer and a senior Local Intelligence Unit officer, who explicitly instructed him not to travel to Bareilly.
Questioning the restriction, Pandey stated, ‘What will happen if we go? Similar actions were taken in Sambhal and Bahraich. When our delegation visits, we aim to establish peace. This is not a communal Hindu-Muslim conflict where our presence would further escalate tensions.’
Recalling the protests from the previous week, Pandey asserted that members of the Muslim community simply intended to submit a letter to authorities, but police responded with disproportionate force.
He urged the Chief Minister to personally visit Bareilly to understand the situation and rectify any errors that may have occurred.
Samajwadi Party chief spokesperson, Rajendra Chaudhary, corroborated these claims, confirming that all delegation members were confined to their homes by police.
The restricted delegation comprised prominent figures including Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey; Lok Sabha MPs Harendra Malik, Iqra Hasan, Ziaur Rahman Barq, Mohibullah Nadvi, and Neeraj Maurya; former MPs Virpal Singh Yadav, Praveen Singh Aron, and Shivcharan Kashyap; MLAs Ataur Rahman and Shahzil Islam Ansari; former minister Bhagwat Sharan Gangwar; and party leaders Shamim Khan Sultani and Shubhalesh Yadav.
Chaudhary issued a statement condemning these actions as both ‘condemnable and shameful.’
MP Ziaur Rehman informed reporters that a police contingent had been deployed outside his residence in Deepa Sarai, Sambhal.
He expressed frustration, stating, ‘We intended to visit Bareilly to meet the victims’ families, but we were denied access. The world is witnessing the oppression and atrocities being inflicted upon them. This action sets a dangerous precedent and tarnishes our nation’s image.’
The Sambhal MP emphasized that people are being targeted, and the injustice they endure is ‘unimaginable.’
He lamented, ‘Our ancestors could never have conceived of such a day in a free country.’
Rehman also highlighted that the Bareilly protesters on September 26 were merely attempting to submit a memorandum, yet ten legal cases were subsequently filed against them.
He further noted that police accused the protesters of stone-pelting and opening gunfire, challenging the authorities: ‘If the police administration possesses such photos and videos, why have they not been presented to the nation? What exactly is their fault? Why is the police administration withholding this alleged proof from the media?’
Minister J.P.S. Rathore, however, responded with a sharp critique of the Samajwadi Party, suggesting their leaders sought to visit Bareilly ‘to mourn the same rioters who allegedly attempted to harm police and innocent citizens.’
He questioned their motives: ‘Who are they visiting in Bareilly? Those who violated the law, threw stones, and attacked police?’ Rathore maintained that no innocent individuals were harmed by police action; only those who broke the law faced incarceration.
In a statement, the minister confirmed that markets were open, traffic was flowing normally, and police were maintaining a vigilant watch, with the administration anticipating a complete return to calm in the coming days.
Rathore, who serves as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Cooperation, alleged that opposition parties hoped to gain political mileage from the unrest in Bareilly, but the administration’s firm actions foiled their intentions.
He concluded by stating that those who previously championed the Constitution were now attempting to break the law and incite violence.
Uttar Pradesh BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi commented on the SP delegation’s attempted visit, asserting that ‘the Samajwadi Party aims to provoke the sensitive atmosphere in Bareilly.’
He emphasized that the government and administration, through patience and restraint, had successfully foiled attempts to incite unrest. Tripathi declared that the Yogi Adityanath government would not permit any conspiracy to instigate communal riots to succeed.
The violence in Bareilly on September 26 stemmed from clashes between protesters and police after demonstrators, opposing First Information Reports related to ‘I Love Muhammad’ posters, were denied permission to hold a demonstration following Friday prayers. Several individuals sustained injuries during these confrontations.
In the aftermath, police registered ten FIRs and implicated hundreds of people, many of whom remain unidentified. Over 70 individuals, including cleric Tauqeer Raza Khan, his associates, and some relatives, have since been arrested.