The Khushi Nagar police of Uttar Pradesh have arrested 11 Muslims, including minors and elderly, for offering Eid-ul-Adha prayers in an open ground in Kushinagar district. The arrests were made at around 1 am.
The local Muslims claimed that since they did not have an Eidgah, they started congregational Eid prayer in an open ground. They alleged that both the elderly and minors were among those arrested for offering Eid prayers peacefully.
Addressing the media, senior officers stated that the police received a call about the Eid prayer being offered at the place, and started investigating the issue. He said during the investigation police got to know that the land belonged to the local Gram Sabha (village council), so we took action.
“The land where the Eid prayer was offered belonged to the local Gram Sabha. Muslims of the locality had requested a piece of land to build an Eidgah. However, the proposal was rejected. The group had not obtained the necessary permissions to hold prayers at the site,” the police officer stated.
“The arrests were made to maintain law and order in the area,” he added.
The officer further said that during the investigation two police personnel were also line attached for their negligence in their duty.
On the other side, the impacted families have claimed that the police held their male members during a midnight raid on their houses, despite their request not to have them taken away at that time.
“On June 19, around 1.00 am when police knocked on our door while we were asleep. My younger brother, who is 16-year-old, went to open the door. The police stormed into the house and discovered my elder brother sleeping, telling him to go with them. They took the two of them with them,” said one of the family members.
“My elderly parents and young children were among those arrested. They were simply trying to offer their Eid prayers peacefully, and the police swooped in and took them away in the middle of the night,” said another affected family.
The incident has sparked outrage, the critics have condemned authorities’ night raid.
The state, led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has faced criticism in the past for its perceived crackdown on minority rights and its handling of communal tensions.
In 2023, more than 2,000 people were booked in three FIRs for offering namaz without permission on a road outside the Eidgah on Eid. One of the FIRs was lodged at the Bajaria Police Station against 1,000 -1,500 unknown persons including some members of the Eidgah management committee on the complaint of sub-inspector (SI) Omveer Singh.
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