"This was a conspiracy to destroy harmony': SP leader Azam Khan on 'I Love Muhammad' row

Rampur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 21 (ANI): Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on Tuesday said that the controversy over the 'I Love Muhammad' campaign, which triggered violence in Bareilly on September 26, was an attempt to disrupt communal harmony.
Speaking to ANI, Khan said, "Even if I were to call it a spark, how did this small matter become such a raging fire? Had the district administration wanted, the issue could have been resolved through dialogue. No matter how much the situation escalates, a solution is found only by sitting at the table. Just look at the results of the wars... This was a conspiracy to destroy harmony. Obviously, if someone loves someone, it is their birthright to love them..."
The protestors pelted stones at the police during the protest after the Friday prayers.
A group of people had gathered outside Ala Hazrat Dargah and Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC) chief Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan's house, holding "I Love Mohammad" placards.
Following the chaos, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested Maulana Mohsin Raza in connection with the September 26 protests in Bareilly.
Earlier, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the 'I Love Muhammad' poster controversy, stating that expressing love for Prophet Muhammad is a matter of "faith" and questioned why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was objecting to it.
In an interview with ANI, the AIMIM President said that the UP government should release those who have been arrested in connection with the 'I Love Muhammad' poster row.
"Why does the BJP hate love so much?... We demand that the UP government release those who have been arrested. This is not sending a good message within the country, or even abroad," AIMIM chief Owaisi.
"The most precious thing in the world for us is love for the Prophet Muhammad. It is more precious than our parents, our wealth, our children; it is part of our faith. Now, if someone is expressing it, what's wrong with that? If someone resorts to violence, it is condemnable," Owaisi told ANI. (ANI)