BAREILLY: A protest erupted in Bareilly on Tuesday after a prominent local cleric announced his plan to
mass-marry Hindu women to Muslim men
, prompting police to order an investigation and assure residents that peace would not be disrupted.
The cleric sought permission from authorities for these marriages, which he claimed involved "women already in live-in relationships with Muslim men."
On Monday,
Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan
, head of the Bareilly-based political party Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC), said, "I will solemnise the marriages of 15 Hindu women with Muslim men as societal pressure prevented these couples from uniting."
The announcement sparked significant backlash, with right-wing activists demanding action against him.
Bareilly SSP Anurag Arya addressed the protesters, saying, "An application was submitted to the city magistrate seeking permission for inter-faith mass marriages. We have asked the local intelligence unit and thana to provide a report. Police assure all residents that no permission will be given for any event that may disrupt peace."
On Monday, IMC leader Nadeem Qureshi submitted the application on Raza's behalf. Raza explained, "Eight men and 15 women want to convert to Islam. They are already in a relationship, and all of them are adults. We have sought permission from the district administration to solemnise their marriage. We have chosen five couples for the conversion and Nikah. We are not doing anything illegal."
He clarified, "My statement was misinterpreted. I meant to highlight the issue of a few women in live-in relationships, which I find concerning. Our plan was to arrange marriages for them. However, we will retract this proposal if the administration acts against cases where Muslim women were coerced into converting to Hinduism for marriage."
English (US) ·