A muezzin in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh has alleged that he was verbally abused, physically assaulted and unlawfully detained by police shortly after making the call to prayer for fajr.
The incident captured on CCTV that has sparked outrage among Muslim organisations.
The incident occurred early on December 10 at Medina Masjid in the Sarwat area of Muzaffarnagar district, shortly after muezzin Muhammad Irfan made adhan for the fajr prayer.
In Uttar Pradesh, as in several other Indian states, the use of loudspeakers for religious purposes is regulated by local authorities and has become a frequent point of contention amid heightened communal and political tensions.
Speaking to local media, Irfan said the alleged assault took place moments after he had completed the adhan and stepped outside the mosque.
“After giving the fajr adhan, I was placing the donation box outside when an inspector arrived and started beating me without saying a word,” he said.
Irfan alleged that the officer accused him of delivering the call to prayer illegally, despite the mosque having written permission from the district administration to use a loudspeaker.
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“I tried to show him the permission letter, but he did not listen,” Irfan said. “He kept asking why I was giving the adhan and continued thrashing me.”
CCTV footage from the mosque premises, which has since circulated widely on social media, appears to show a police officer confronting Irfan aggressively, pushing him and striking him during the exchange.
According to Irfan, the officer was Sub-Inspector Vinod Chaudhary, who allegedly arrived at the mosque accompanied by four to five constables. Irfan claimed they forcibly took him to the local police station and continued to assault him on the way.
Once inside the station, he said the abuse escalated into explicit Islamophobic insults and threats.
“He abused me and said that if I was so fond of giving the adhan, I should go to Pakistan and give it there,” Irfan said. He further alleged that officers used obscene language and issued threats, including references to sexual violence against his mother. “Other officers were present, but no one objected,” he added.
Telling Indian Muslims to “go to Pakistan” is widely regarded by rights groups as a discriminatory slur that questions their citizenship and belonging in India.
Irfan said he was held at the police station for several hours without being informed of any charges or legal grounds for his detention. He was released only after local residents gathered outside the station and demanded his immediate release.
Islamophobia in Uttar Pradesh
Community members said the episode reflects a broader pattern in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, where routine Muslim religious practices are increasingly treated as acts of provocation, even when legally permitted.
In recent years, the state has witnessed repeated disputes over mosque loudspeakers, the Muslim call to prayer, halal food and Islamic attire, amid a wider political climate shaped by Hindu nationalist rhetoric and campaigns targeting visible expressions of Muslim identity.
Instead, Irfan, who also serves as the caretaker of Medina Masjid, said police registered a counter-case against him.
According to Irfan, police accused him of threatening an officer during a dispute over loudspeaker volume at the same mosque, located at Medina Chowk. He said a First Information Report was registered swiftly and that he was arrested in connection with the allegation.
“This happened despite the fact that the mosque has permission for the loudspeaker and despite the assault and abuse I faced,” Irfan told local media.
The apparent contrast between the lack of action against the accused officers and the rapid registration of a case against Irfan has fuelled anger among local residents and Muslim groups.
Muslim solidarity
Following the incident, leaders from several Muslim organisations visited Medina Masjid to express solidarity with Irfan and his family.
Later on Wednesday, a delegation from Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, one of India’s largest Muslim religious bodies, submitted a written complaint to the Senior Superintendent of Police in Muzaffarnagar. The organisation demanded the immediate suspension of Sub-Inspector Chaudhary and called for both departmental and criminal proceedings against the officers involved.
Advocate Javed, a local lawyer assisting the family, described the incident as a serious violation of constitutional rights.
“Preventing a citizen from practising his religion is unconstitutional,” he said. “Detaining someone without lawful grounds is illegal. If the administration fails to act impartially, such incidents will only deepen mistrust between the police and minority communities.”
India’s constitution guarantees freedom of religion, including the right to practise and propagate one’s faith, subject to public order and law.
At the time of publication, police officials in Muzaffarnagar had not issued any official statement addressing either the assault allegations or the counter-case filed against Irfan. Attempts by local media to obtain a response from Civil Lines police station were unsuccessful.
