AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): A mosque muezzin in the city of Muzaffarnagar, in India’s Uttar Pradesh state, was beaten and verbally abused by police immediately after delivering the dawn call to prayer on Wednesday, an incident that has once again raised allegations of anti-Muslim bias in the state’s policing.
CCTV footage shows police inspector Vinod Chaudhary forcefully shoving and striking Mohammad Irfan, the muezzin of Madina Mosque in the Sarwat neighborhood, moments after he exited the mosque. Irfan told media outlets that the officer, without provocation or warning, declared the call to prayer “illegal,” despite the mosque holding a valid written permit issued by the district administration.
According to Irfan, when he attempted to present the official authorization, the officer refused to look at it and, along with several other policemen, took him to the Civil Lines police station. He alleged that he was beaten and subjected to Islamophobic insults inside the station and was unlawfully detained for several hours.
The muezzin further claimed that during his detention, the officer told him, “If you like the call to prayer so much, go to Pakistan.” Local sources said Irfan was released only after residents of the area gathered outside the station in protest.
Muslim organizations and leaders condemned the incident, describing it as part of a troubling pattern of targeting legally sanctioned Muslim religious practices in Uttar Pradesh. Officials from the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind met with the injured man, filed a formal complaint with the district police chief, and demanded the immediate suspension of the inspector and strict disciplinary action.
A local lawyer described the incident as a clear violation of religious freedoms guaranteed under India’s Constitution and warned that failure to address such cases would further erode minorities’ trust in the police. Authorities have so far issued no official response to the allegations.
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