The Muzaffarnagar police, on Friday, December 12, arrested Muhammad Irfan, a local muezzin, on the charge of allegedly threatening a police inspector, a move that has yet again reflected the Uttar Pradesh Police’s stance that when a Muslim raises his voice against injustice and persecution, it is criminalised, as the arrest came after community leaders objected to his illegal detention for giving the morning azaan.
The incident occurred in Sarwat locality of Muzaffarnagar on Wednesday morning, when Muhammad Irfan, the muezzin of Medina Masjid, had completed the Fajr azaan and stepped out of the mosque, following which a police team approached him and an altercation ensued that later resulted in his detention.
Videos that surfaced on social media showed two to three police personnel confronting Irfan near the mosque premises, an episode that drew sharp criticism and renewed allegations of discriminatory policing practices in the district.
CCTV footage from the mosque further showed a sub-inspector pushing and striking Irfan, while other personnel remained present, and community members alleged that the use of force was unprovoked and disproportionate. Irfan was subsequently taken to the police station, where he was allegedly subjected to verbal abuse and held for several hours without formal grounds, before local residents intervened and demanded his release.
According to residents, the azaan was delivered in compliance with existing regulations and the mosque possessed written permission from the district administration, a fact they said was ignored during the police action.
The case registered against Irfan, they argued, reversed the sequence of events by portraying the victim as the aggressor, thereby deepening mistrust between the police and the Muslim community.
Leaders of several Muslim organisations visited the mosque later in the day, while a delegation from Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind submitted a written complaint to the Senior Superintendent of Police, seeking the immediate suspension of the concerned sub-inspector and departmental action.