Firozabad: Police in Uttar Pradesh arrested 33 Muslim youths after accusing them of deviating from the designated route during an Eid Milad-un-Nabi procession.
The arrests followed the Barawafat procession on September 5 in the North Zone area. Police alleged that a group of around 40 to 50 youths returned by a non-traditional route and created a disturbance. Officials said the action was based on video evidence collected after the event.
According to a police statement, “In a joint operation by the North, South, Ramgarh, and Rasoolpur police stations, 30 accused individuals who created a ruckus on a non-traditional route have been arrested. Fourteen motorcycles have also been seized.” An FIR was filed at North Police Station under sections 223(a) and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Senior Superintendent of Police Saurabh Dixit constituted three police teams to track those involved. The accused were sent to the district jail after legal formalities were completed.
The arrests sparked criticism from AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, who accused the police of targeting Muslims. He said, “The UP police’s strictness is only visible against Muslim youths. For the mere ‘crime’ of straying from the route of a procession, photos and videos of these boys are being made to humiliate them.”
Owaisi contrasted the action with an incident in Kanpur where Muslim shops were attacked during another community’s procession. He questioned why the same level of scrutiny was not applied there. He also reminded that the Allahabad High Court had ruled against such public displays, calling them an intrusion into privacy.
