Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Saturday warned that those inciting riots would face consequences so severe that “future generations will think twice before disturbing law and order.”
He delivered the warning while addressing the Viksit Uttar Pradesh Vision-2047 programme in Lucknow.
Referring to the Bareilly violence on Friday, CM Yogi said a local cleric had threatened to block the city after Friday prayers but “forgot who is in power in the state.”
He asserted that his government would not allow blockades or curfews, adding, “We made it clear there would be neither blockades nor curfews. Instead, we will teach them such a lesson that their harmful tendencies will be corrected.”
Yogi Adityanath accused earlier governments of encouraging rioters and the mafia. “Earlier, rioters were invited to the Chief Minister’s residence and honoured. Mafia people controlled districts freely, and governments even saluted professional criminals,” he said.
He alleged that past administrations created a system of One District, One Mafia, where local strongmen dominated the administration and ordinary citizens lived under fear.
He added that agriculture collapsed, jobs were sold, and extortion gangs thrived during that period. “Their agents auctioned transfers and postings. We have attacked these immoral and illegal practices, and that is why their followers are now shouting,” he remarked.
Bareilly Violence and Police Action
The Chief Minister claimed that before 2017, festivals often turned violent, but his government had decisively ended such disturbances.
“Sometimes bad habits don’t leave easily, so they must be corrected sternly. Yesterday in Bareilly, you saw corrective action. The cleric thought he could threaten us and force his way, but we showed him the authority of the state,” Adityanath said.
Yogi reiterated that his government had deployed bulldozers against those attempting to divide society along caste and religious lines. “When dishonest and corrupt people come to power, they misuse authority and exploit society. We built the bulldozer precisely for such people,” he declared.
The Bareilly violence broke out on Friday when a procession carrying posters and placards reading “I Love Muhammad” refused to disperse despite police orders. Participants marched towards Islamia Ground and Khalil School Chowk while chanting slogans, including “Nara-e-Taqbeer.”
Police used force to disperse the crowd when the marchers defied repeated warnings.
Authorities confirmed that the situation in Bareilly remained peaceful on Saturday. No fresh incidents have been reported.
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