The South Asia Justice Campaign (SAJC) has documented a series of alleged human rights violations against Muslims and concerns over electoral integrity in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.
In the first edition of its monthly bulletin, Election Watch: Uttar Pradesh, 2027, the organisation examined incidents reported between August 1 and September 30, 2026. SAJC said the documentation is intended to track violations and identify potential warning signs ahead of the election, expected in February 2027.
The organisation said the incidents included police shootings and arrests, alleged religiously motivated violence, demolitions of Muslim homes and religious structures, hate speech by public officials and alleged restrictions on opposition political activity.
Police Shootings and Arrests
According to SAJC, at least 70 Muslims were shot and injured by police in what it describes as “half-encounters” during August and September. The incidents were reported across 27 of Uttar Pradesh’s 75 districts.
SAJC said 52 of those shot were accused of cow slaughter or cattle theft.
The organisation also documented the death of a Muslim man who was allegedly shot by police in Shamli on August 5.
Police figures published in September showed that 49 people had been killed in police “encounters” during the first eight months of 2026, according to SAJC. The organisation said this was higher than the total recorded for the whole of 2025.
It also reported at least 152 arrests or detentions of Muslims during the two month period, including seven women detained in cases related to meat and men allegedly arrested over criticism of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath online.
Hate Crimes and Anti Muslim Rhetoric
SAJC said at least four Muslims were killed in suspected religiously motivated hate crimes during August and September, while at least 16 others were assaulted.
Among the cases cited was the killing of a 20-year-old man after men allegedly objected to his cousin wearing a burqa or other body covering. Another case involved a schoolteacher who was reportedly shot by a man who referred to the “love jihad” conspiracy theory.
SAJC also documented the assault of a 12-year-old boy who was allegedly attacked after refusing to chant “Jai Shri Ram”.
The organisation said no attacker had been reported arrested in any of the 14 assault cases it documented and that police had acted against victims in two cases.
It also recorded at least 21 instances of anti-Muslim hate speech by public officials. SAJC said ten of these statements were made by Adityanath.
The report cited statements by the Chief Minister referring to political opponents as “Babur’s followers”. It also cited a statement by his deputy that people educated in madrasas develop a mindset “like that of a terrorist”, and a state minister’s statement, “We do not need Muslim votes.”
SAJC said no officeholder faced reported action over the statements documented in the report.
Demolitions and Madrasa Board Changes
The organisation documented at least 34 Muslim homes, businesses and religious structures that it said were demolished across nine incidents.
In Saharanpur, SAJC said a mosque that its caretakers claimed had existed for more than a century was demolished three days after a lower court ruling, without the affected parties being given an opportunity to appeal.
The report also highlighted demolitions in Kaushambi, where eight buildings belonging to one family were reportedly demolished within five days of a fatal factory blast. SAJC said a senior district official attributed the action to orders from the Chief Minister.
Three members of the family were also reportedly shot by police in separate “half-encounters”.
The organisation further noted that the Uttar Pradesh government had removed the state Madrasa Board’s authority to award degrees, a decision it said affected nearly 37,000 Muslim students.
Concerns Over Electoral Integrity
SAJC also raised concerns about the electoral process ahead of the 2027 Assembly election.
The report said opposition parties had alleged that Muslim voters were being removed from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR).
The electoral roll was reduced by 20.4 million names during the revision, according to SAJC, although no official breakdown of the deleted names by religion has been published.
The organisation said opposition politicians were placed under house arrest on at least 12 occasions across 10 districts. According to the report, the restrictions included preventing politicians from visiting families of people who had died in police custody, reaching a mosque during its demolition and attending events during the Chief Minister’s visits.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress president was also detained three times in September, SAJC said.
International Concerns
The report also highlighted interventions by international human rights organisations during the reporting period.
On September 22, REDRESS and the World Organisation Against Torture submitted a complaint to the UN Human Rights Council alleging “consistent patterns of gross and reliably attested human rights violations” against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh. The organisations called for, among other measures, an independent fact finding mechanism.
On August 10, two Canadian organisations reportedly urged the Canadian government to impose targeted sanctions on eight Uttar Pradesh government officials over alleged abuses against Muslims.
SAJC said its monthly bulletin would continue documenting human rights violations and electoral concerns in Uttar Pradesh until the 2027 Assembly election.
