They were supposed to go to Bareilly on Wednesday morning but have been confined to their residences since Tuesday night (September 30), news agency PTI reported.
Since then, a police team has been monitoring their homes and no official statement has been made yet.
Masood addressed reporters at his residence and said, “We follow Gandhian ideology. We were supposed to leave at 6:50 am for Bareilly to meet the DIG and ADG and return at 1:30 pm. But the government is using such tactics to hide its failures.
“It is the government and the police who have made the situation abnormal. Muslims are being targeted selectively. One set of laws applies to us, another to others,” he added, while responding to a question whether their visit could have aggravated the situation, according to PTI.
Violent clashes broke out on September 26 when more than 2,000 people gathered outside a local leader’s house and a mosque to protest the cancellation of “I Love Muhammad” protests proposed by Maulana Tauqeer Raza, a local cleric and head of the Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC).
Two “foreigners” arrested by the police
In another development in the case, police arrested two people allegedly involved in the September 26 violence, after an encounter in GB Ganj area on October 1.
Both men sustained gunshot wounds and are currently hospitalized and being treated in police custody, PTI reported quoting a senior police officer.
“Idrees and Iqbal, hailing from neighboring Shahjahanpur district, were actively involved in the violence that broke out in Kotwali area last week,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Anurag Arya said.
“They were apprehended after a brief exchange of fire with the police. Both were shot and injured during the clash and were taken to hospital for treatment. They are now in police custody,” he added.
What is the “I Love Mohammad” saga about?
The controversy came to light on September 9, when the Kanpur police filed an FIR against 24 people for allegedly putting up hoardings reading “I love Mohammad” on a public road on September 4 during a Barawafat procession, according to PTI. The FIR named nine people, while 15 were unidentified.
The move had drawn objections from Hindu organizations, alleging a “new trend” of deliberately provoking emotions. The matter gained momentum after AIMIM President Asaduddin Owaisi started claiming that it was not a crime to say “I love Mohammad”.
The controversy has spread to different parts of UP, and even states like Karnataka and Uttarakhand, where protests and police crackdowns have been reported.
