Pamphlet threatening Muslims terrorises UP’s Bhonkhera village

A pamphlet that began circulating on social media earlier this month has sparked fear among Muslims in Uttar Pradesh’s Sikandrabad area after it was claimed to contain an open threat warning them to leave their village or face death.

The leaflet, which surfaced online on January 2, 2026, allegedly stated that Muslims must vacate the area within 24 hours or risk being burnt alive. “Sabhi Kathmullon 24 ghante ke andar gaon khaali kardo, warna zinda jala diye jaoge,” read the pamphlet.

Maktoob spoke to residents, legal experts, and police officials to ascertain the facts surrounding the pamphlet and its impact on the local community.

For Muslim families in Bhonkhera village, January 1, 2026, marked a disturbing start to the new year. Sajid Ali, a resident, said that after stepping out early in the morning to buy milk following his fajr prayers, he discovered a pamphlet placed outside his home. He said the message left him shocked and momentarily frozen, as it carried a direct threat aimed at Muslims.

The pamphlet, typed in Hindi and reviewed by Maktoob, reportedly ordered Muslims to vacate the village within 24 hours, using a communal slur and warning of being burnt alive if the demand was not met. The document also bore the name “Kattar Sanatani Vikram,” along with ‘jai shree ram’ and ‘har har Mahadev’ written on the other two ends of the paper, Maktoob Media reported.

Ali recalled that as he stood outside his house trying to process what he had seen, neighbours began emerging from nearby homes expressing similar alarm. He said residents were confused and frightened, unable to identify who could have placed the pamphlets.

While Ali said the community had no intention of leaving the village, he admitted that the threat, coupled with recent incidents elsewhere and what he described as limited police action, had heightened their sense of vulnerability. He added that residents were prepared to pursue the matter legally but wanted assurance that their families would be protected.

Following the incident, a complaint was lodged at the Sikandrabad police station. According to the First Information Report accessed by Maktoob, pamphlets containing explicit death threats were found outside Muslim households. The FIR stated that the leaflets warned residents to vacate the village within a day or face being killed, prompting a demand for immediate legal action against those responsible.

The case has been registered against unknown persons under Section 353(1)(c) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

Bhonkhera village is home to around 15 Muslim families, most of whom are related, while the Hindu population forms a majority. Residents said the two communities have lived together peacefully for more than six generations. Despite this history of coexistence, locals said fear has lingered since the pamphlets appeared, disrupting everyday life.

A local advocate who filed the complaint and is assisting residents said the pamphlet constituted a direct and credible threat of violence but expressed concern over the apparent lack of swift action. Mohd Haneef, a legal practitioner from the area, said the wording of the pamphlet amounted to criminal intimidation and posed a threat to public order. He noted that although an FIR had been registered, no arrests had been made so far.

Haneef added that the act appeared intended to disturb communal harmony in a village with no prior history of communal conflict. He also pointed out that no individual named Vikram resides in Bhonkhera, suggesting the possibility of an attempt to incite hostility between communities that have coexisted peacefully for decades.

Residents said they had not received any updates from the police regarding progress in the investigation. An inspector at the Sikandrabad police station told Maktoob that the incident could be the work of miscreants and that efforts were underway to identify those involved. The officer maintained that the area remained peaceful and said regular police patrolling was being conducted to prevent any escalation.

The episode has added to growing concerns about anonymous pamphlets, boycott calls, and demographic threats targeting Muslims in parts of Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere in the country.