A court in Bareilly has denied the bail pleas of Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza and five others accused of attacking police officers during the September 26 violence that erupted over the “I Love Mohammad” posters.

Additional District Government Counsel Mahesh Pathak said that Maulana Tauqeer Raza had called on members of the Muslim community to gather at Islamia Maidan on the day of the incident despite prohibitory orders being in place.

Pathak said that when the police tried to control the situation, the crowd started throwing stones. In the chaos, some rioters allegedly snatched a rifle from the Superintendent of Police City’s gunner and also took away a wireless set from a police jeep.

The court examined the case and rejected the bail applications of all six accused, including Raza, who were arrested for attacking police personnel.

Ten FIRs were registered at the Kotwali, Baradari, Premnagar, Cantt, and Qila police stations. The cases name more than 125 people and list over 2,500 unidentified accused.

At present, Maulana Tauqeer Raza is lodged in Fatehgarh jail, while the other accused are being held in Bareilly jail.

The IMC chief’s lawyer had sought bail in the case related to the violence that took place in Shyamganj under the Baradari police station area.

Pathak said that the matter was heard in the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Amrita Shukla on Friday. The court rejected the bail pleas of Raza, Faizan Sakalani, Takim, and Munir Idrishi, all from Bareilly district, as well as Harman and Nematullah, both from Bihar’s Purnea district.

Raza has been in jail since September 27, a day after the clashes broke out in Bareilly following the controversy over the “I Love Mohammad” posters.

The violence started soon after a gathering of Raza’s supporters, during which a mob allegedly attacked police officers.

Raza was initially named as an accused in seven of the ten FIRs, and his name was later added to the remaining three during the investigation.

The IMC chief also faces older cases linked to the 2019 anti-CAA NRC protests.