The Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) has strongly denounced the Uttar Pradesh government’s continued persecution of Muslims, marked by arbitrary arrests, raids, and custodial deaths. The organisation has called for immediate action to halt these oppressive measures and urged democratic and progressive groups to unite against the escalating crackdown.
On January 19, Uttar Pradesh Police arrested four individuals, including a village pradhan, in Sampant village, Bareilly district, and registered an FIR against 20 others for offering Namaz at a private residence. The police cited “disturbing public order and breach of peace” as reasons for the arrests. CASR condemned the criminalisation of a peaceful religious practice, labelling it a violation of Article 25 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantees the freedom to profess and practise religion.
CASR stated, “This is not a law-and-order issue but a deliberate attack on the fundamental rights of minorities, orchestrated to suppress their identity under the Brahmanical Hindutva agenda of the BJP-RSS regime.”
The CASR statement also highlighted the recent arrests of ten individuals in connection with the Sambhal violence during a survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid on November 24, 2024. The arrests bring the total number of detained individuals to 70, including four women. Police claim the violence was orchestrated by a Dubai-based individual, Shariq Satha, allegedly linked to Dawood Ibrahim and the ISI. CASR criticised this narrative as an attempt to obscure the chain of events leading to the violence, which resulted in the killing of five Muslims.
Further, the custodial death of Irfan, who was detained at Raisatti police station in Sambhal, was condemned as a heinous act of state repression. According to Irfan’s family, police denied him essential medication, leading to his death. CASR stated that custodial killings and extrajudicial encounters targeting Muslims have become alarmingly common under the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government.
CASR has demanded immediate release of all those arrested in connection with the Sambhal violence and the Bareilly Namaz case. It also called for an end to the criminalisation of Muslim minorities and urged democratic and progressive organisations to build a united front against the systemic repression of marginalised communities.
“The Brahmanical Hindutva fascist onslaught is designed to render minorities as second-class citizens. This repression must be met with widespread resistance from all sections of society committed to justice and equality,” the statement read.
The CASR statement was endorsed by a wide coalition of organisations, including AIRSO, AISA, AISF, APCR, Bhim Army, Rihai Manch, NAPM, SFI, WSS, and others, who collectively condemned the state’s actions and vowed to continue their struggle for justice and equality.
