'I Love Muhammed' row: Police, locals clash after Friday prayers outside Bareilly mosque
Bareilly (PTI): Clashes broke out between locals and police outside a mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly after Friday prayers on Friday, after several protestors gathered there in support of the "I Love Muhammad" campaign allegedly on the call of a local cleric and Ittehad-e-Millat Council chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza.
Police said large crowds gathered outside the cleric's residence and near the mosque, both in the Kotwali area, after Friday prayers, with people expressing their anger over the last-minute suspension of the protest due to denial of permission by the local authorities.
Visuals on social media and TV news channels showed locals clashing with the police, armed with batons, even as senior officers reached the spot to take stock of the situation.
"The situation is now normal and under control. No untoward incident has been reported. We are appealing to people to maintain peace and harmony," District Magistrate Avinash Singh told reporters.
The controversy dates back to September 9 when police in Kanpur filed an FIR against nine named and 15 unidentified persons for allegedly installing boards with “I Love Muhammad” written on them on a public road in Kanpur during a Barawafat procession on September 4.
The move triggered objections from Hindu organisations, which termed it a “new trend” and alleged it was a deliberate provocation.
The row gained wider attention after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi in a social media post asserted that saying “I Love Muhammad” was not a crime.
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No unannounced load shedding in Kerala, outages due to overload, says Minister
Palakkad (PTI): Kerala Electricity Minister K Krishnankutty on Saturday said there was no unannounced load shedding in the state, attributing recent power interruptions to temporary overload caused by high consumption.
Clarifying concerns raised from various parts of the state, the minister said the disruptions are not deliberate but occur when demand peaks, particularly between 10 pm and 11 pm.
"It is not being done intentionally. Power consumption has risen sharply, and when there is excessive and indiscriminate usage, the system experiences overload, leading to natural supply interruptions," he told reporters here.
His remarks come amid complaints that several areas have been witnessing frequent power cuts, often lasting around 15 minutes and occurring multiple times during the night.
Krishnankutty said the state's power demand has crossed 6,195 MW, putting pressure on the supply system. He added that around 70 per cent of Kerala's electricity is procured from outside, and existing power banking arrangements have been exhausted.
"We have approached the Regulatory Commission seeking permission to purchase more power. However, this will come at a higher cost," he said.
The minister said the government is trying to avoid increasing electricity tariffs and urged consumers to exercise restraint in usage to help manage the situation.
Responding to opposition criticism over the ruling LDF's earlier claims of a decade without power cuts, he said the current situation is not unique to Kerala.
A power crisis is emerging across the country, he said, and sarcastically asked the Opposition to take note of the role of natural factors in this.
Krishnankutty expressed confidence that the situation would improve within two days, while cautioning that long-term energy security would depend on enhancing in-state power generation.
He also warned that future generations could face serious challenges if adequate electricity production capacity is not developed within Kerala.
