New Delhi: Police in India’s Uttarakhand state have arrested a Muslim cleric after a video surfaced showing him warning authorities against closing madrasas, as the BJP government intensifies its crackdown on Islamic schools across the state.
Mufti Mujeeb, a resident of neighboring Uttar Pradesh, was arrested on August 29 over remarks he reportedly made during an Eid Milad-un-Nabi gathering in Rudrapur three days earlier, according to Indian newspaper Amar Ujala. He was subsequently sent to jail.
In the video, Mujeeb is heard objecting to government action against madrasas. “Do not make decisions about madrasas. Remember, if madrasas are closed, then you will see what we will do,” he reportedly said.
Police registered a case after the video spread on social media and launched an investigation into the remarks and the circumstances surrounding the gathering near Trishul Chowk in Rudrapur, in Udham Singh Nagar district. Authorities sent the video for forensic examination to verify its authenticity. Police have also questioned members of the organizing committee and are seeking details about others who addressed the gathering, including whether organizers obtained permission to erect a stage for the procession.
Mujeeb disputed the authorities’ interpretation of his remarks, saying he had spoken about madrasas and land without targeting the government, and alleged his comments were being presented incorrectly.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, a senior leader of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, publicly condemned the cleric after the video surfaced. “This is not merely the statement of one maulana; it reflects a mindset and an ideology that does not respect the Constitution and seeks to intimidate society,” Dhami said, adding that authorities would not allow anyone to issue threats or take the law into their own hands.
Rudrapur Mayor Vikas Sharma also welcomed the arrest, saying the government would act against statements that could disturb the local atmosphere.
The arrest follows a wider BJP government campaign targeting madrasas in Uttarakhand. Dhami’s government has shut down scores of Islamic schools it describes as illegally operating or unauthorized, and has moved to overhaul the state’s madrasa education system.
Muslim groups and opposition figures have accused the BJP government of disproportionately targeting Muslim religious and educational institutions under the guise of enforcing regulations.
