Stones hurled at Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad in Lucknow

Stones and bricks were thrown at Shia cleric Maulana Kalbe Jawad and his supporters on Monday (October 13, 2025) night when the religious leader went to inspect an alleged illegal construction at the Karbala in the Abbas Bagh area, police officials said.

No one was injured in the incident. However, a car suffered some damage, they said. After the incident, Mr. Jawad staged a sit-in protest at the site with his supporters, accusing police of negligence. He ended his sit-in after an assurance from a senior officer that stern action would be taken against the attackers.

Thakurganj Station House Officer (SHO) Omveer Singh Chauhan said that a complaint had been received in connection with the attack and an FIR would be registered. According to the complaint filed by Karbala caretaker Sarim Mehdi, Mr. Jawad was on his way to the site under alleged encroachment when he and his supporters were attacked.

Mr. Jawad told PTI that he was attacked moments after he reached the Karbala. "I had gone to the Karbala at Abbas Bagh after hearing about an illegal construction. As I arrived, I was targeted by the mafia elements. They also raised religious slogans to give the situation a communal colour," he said.

The cleric claimed that he had given a police complaint against the "same elements" a few months ago, but no action was taken. "Today's incident would not have happened had police acted against these elements earlier," he said.

"We will court arrest if police fail to act against the accused this time. There is evidence against them, and police have to act now," he said.

Mr. Jawad earlier told reporters at the sit-in that he was attacked by "goons" and that police took an inordinate time in responding to the attack. He claimed the attack was an attempt on his life.

The cleric said he had full faith in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's campaign against illegal constructions and hoped that the encroachments on the Karbala land would also be removed.

Police said the situation at the site was under control.

(IWith inputs from PTI)