The Uttar Pradesh police on Saturday arrested eight persons, including local Muslim cleric and Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Tauqeer Raza Khan, in connection with a violent clash that broke out after Friday prayers in Bareilly linked to the “I love Muhammad” row, PTI reported.

The Ittehad-e-Millat Council is a regional party in Uttar Pradesh.

A local court sent Raza and seven others, identified as Sarfaraz, Manifuddin, Azeem Ahmed, Mohammed Sharif, Mohammed Aamir, Rehan, and Mohammad Sarfaraz, to 14-day judicial custody.

Authorities have also detained 36 persons for questioning after identifying them from video footage of the incident, PTI reported.

District Magistrate Avinash Singh and Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya, speaking at a press conference on Saturday, claimed that Raza was the main conspirator behind the unrest, the news agency reported.

The violence took place when a crowd carrying “I love Muhammad” posters clashed with police outside a mosque in the Kotwali area.

The unrest reportedly followed the last-minute cancellation of a protest called by Raza in support of the campaign. He said authorities had denied him permission for the demonstration, PTI reported.

Police alleged that Raza delivered speeches that provoked the crowd, the news agency reported.

On Friday, Singh and Deputy Inspector General Ajay Kumar Sahni described the violence as a planned attempt to disrupt public order, despite the imposition of Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Suraksha Sanhita, which bars gatherings of more than four persons.

“A few days ago, an organisation proposed holding a march on Friday and submitting a memorandum in support of a protest,” Singh was quoted as saying by PTI. “We informed them that written permission would be needed for any such programme.”

Despite this, some people took to the streets after the Friday prayers and tried to disrupt peace, he added.

Meanwhile, on Friday the Uttar Pradesh Police detained a man outside a mosque in Saharanpur for holding posters that said “I love Muhammad” during the congregational prayers.

The man was holding two posters, Aaj Tak reported. The police personnel present at the spot immediately apprehended him, showed videos of the incident posted on social media.

Senior Superintendent of Police Ashish Tiwari said that the man was being questioned and that his social media accounts were being screened.

“In view of Friday prayers, foot patrols were conducted starting at night to convey a message of safety to the general public,” Tiwari said. “Coordination was established with all religious leaders and discussions were held.”

About 1,500 police personnel were deployed at sensitive locations and crowded places in Saharanpur, the officer said. He added that the situation in the district was peaceful.

Row over ‘I love Muhammad’ banners

The row began on September 4, when a group of Muslims held an “I love Muhammad” banner during an Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi procession in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. Hindu groups objected to the banner, claiming that a “new tradition” was being introduced at the procession.

Kanpur Deputy Commissioner of Police Dinesh Tripathi was quoted as saying by India Today on Monday that government rules prohibit introducing new customs into religious processions.

The police on September 9 went on to file cases against 24 persons, of whom 15 were unidentified, for allegedly introducing a new custom during the procession and disturbing communal harmony.

The Kanpur Police maintained that no case was filed for putting up the banner itself, India Today reported.

The cases were filed for placing the banner at a new location and for allegedly tearing another group’s posters, the police had said.

However, the police action sparked protests and processions with “I love Muhammad” banners in other districts of Uttar Pradesh and other states. Some of the protests led to clashes with the police, leading to cases being filed.

A civil rights collective said on Wednesday that at least 1,324 Muslims had been booked in 21 cases across the country after the controversy erupted.

Thirty-eight Muslims have been arrested in these cases, the Association for Protection of Civil Rights had said.

Nadeem Khan, the national secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights, said that targeting people for expressing their love and respect for the Prophet was a “gross violation of fundamental rights”, Maktoob Media reported. “Peaceful religious expression should never be criminalised,” Khan said.