In Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh, 33 Muslim youths were taken into custody after police accused them of straying from the designated route during a procession on the occasion of Eid Milad-un-Nabi. Police officials said that after the Barawafat procession ended on September 5 in the North Zone area, a group of 40–50 youths returned via a “non-traditional” route. Based on video evidence, 33 were detained, and legal action was initiated.
“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,” the police said in a statement. An FIR was registered at North Police Station under sections 223(a) and 126(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Senior Superintendent of Police Saurabh Dixit formed three police teams to identify and arrest those involved. The accused were sent to district jail after legal proceedings.
However, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticized the police action, accusing them of targeting Muslims. “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 said.
He compared the situation with an earlier incident in Kanpur, where Muslim shops were attacked during a procession of another community. “Why wasn’t such a video made then?” he asked. Owaisi also reminded that the Allahabad High Court had ruled against such public displays, calling them a violation of the fundamental right to privacy.
