4,000+ MUSLIMS BOOKED, 200 ARRESTED IN CRACKDOWN ON ‘I LOVE MUHAMMAD’ CAMPAIGN IN INDIA

Mon 13 October 2025:

A recent report by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), released on October 10, 2025, has raised serious concerns about disproportionate police action and administrative targeting of Muslims in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, following a peaceful “I Love Muhammad” demonstration led by Muslim scholar Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan.

The fact-finding report, compiled by APCR alongside lawyers and civil society members, alleges widespread human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests, excessive force, and property seizures without due legal process.

According to the report, the protest aimed to submit a memorandum to local authorities and was entirely peaceful, with no slogans, vandalism, or violence. Despite its non-violent nature, police allegedly dispersed participants with a sudden lathi charge and mass detentions. By October 7, at least 89 Muslims were arrested in Bareilly, with a total of 265 arrests across India, including 4,505 Muslims booked nationwide.

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The report claims that arrest memos were not issued, FIR copies were withheld, and families were left uninformed about detainees’ whereabouts, with allegations of minors being detained.

Following the crackdown, paramilitary and additional police forces were deployed in Muslim-majority neighborhoods, and internet services were suspended for 48 hours, causing economic disruption and fear.

On September 29, authorities sealed 32 shops in Mazaar Pehalwaan Market, a registered Waqf property, without prior notice or documentation, despite a standing stay order from the Waqf Tribunal. Shopkeepers, who regularly pay rent to the Waqf Board, alleged the sealing was a punitive act linked to the protest, conducted under heavy police presence to discourage dissent.

The report highlights a stark contrast between Muslim localities, heavily patrolled and subdued, and unaffected Hindu-majority areas. It accuses authorities of a “pattern of collective punishment and institutional bias,” citing arbitrary arrests, property demolitions, and censorship as efforts to suppress religious expression.

The APCR team documented credible testimonies of human rights violations, including lack of legal transparency and access to case documents.

The report demands a judicial inquiry into the police crackdown, property seizures, and arrests, urging the National Human Rights Commission to intervene. It calls for the release of detainees held unlawfully, disciplinary action against officers using excessive force, and dialogue between the Muslim community and authorities.

Civil society is urged to resist the criminalization of Muslim religious expression and hold officials accountable for punitive actions. The situation in Bareilly remains tense, with ongoing police presence and growing demands for justice.