No, Bareilly Police did not arrest Muslim men for offering Namaz in their own homes, as claimed by Islamists online. Here’s the truth

In Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district, the police detained 12 Muslim men on Sunday (18th January) for performing Friday’s Jummah Namaz in a private vacant house. The incident unfolded on 16^th January, in the Mohammadganj village under the Bishratganj Police Station precinct. As a video of the incident surfaced online and the police took action based on a local tip-off, Islamists and their liberal cheerleaders claimed that the Bareilly Police in the BJP-ruled state ‘arrested’ 12 Muslim men for simply practising their faith.

In this vein, Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed claimed that 12 Muslim men were arrested by the Bareilly Police for offering Namaz at their “own” homes.

“Uttar Pradesh Police in Bareilly have arrested 12 Muslim people for offering namaz inside their own homes after a video surfaced. On what grounds were they arrested, @bareillypolice? Which law did they violate? Have all criminals in the state been neutralised that the UP Police is now busy terrorising its own citizens for praying inside their homes?” Mohamed wrote on X on 18^th January.

One Islamist X user also amplified the claim that the arrested Muslim men were offering Namaz in private, in their own house, and wrote, “Twelve Muslims jailed for praying namaz inside a private house after a complaint. No violence. No crime, just faith. If praying inside your own house lands you in jail, this isn’t governance, it’s persecution.”

Another Islamist and notorious Hinduphobe, Karishma Aziz, wrote, “In Bareilly, 12 people were offering namaz in an empty house No weapons, no slogans, no violence, 12 arrested. Our faith becomes a crime even inside our own homes. But their faith, when they wave swords on the streets, is still called “culture.” Here, crime is not decided by the act, but by identity. Here, FIRs are not written on the basis of evidence, but on viral clips. Today arrest for namaz, tomorrow FIR for silence too, and you’ll keep watching the spectacle!”

Did Bareilly Police arrest Muslim men for offering namaz?

Social media is replete with posts by Islamo-leftists, peddling the claim that in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-ruled Uttar Pradesh, Muslims are being targeted and persecuted for practising their faith. However, this claim is a part of the Muslim victimhood playbook, where Islamist activities of asserting religious dominance are veiled with a victimhood narrative.

Contrary to the claims made by the usual suspects on social media, the Bareilly Police only detained, not arrested, 12 Muslims, not for simply offering Namaz in their own homes, but for doing so inside a vacant private house without administrative permission. The police said that they have detained 12 individuals, while 3 fled the scene, adding that efforts are on to trace the absconding persons.

The video circulating online, which shows Muslim men offering namaz inside a vacant house, was reportedly shot by local Hindus, who informed the police about the illegal activity taking place there.

SP (South) Anshika Verma said that detaining the accused Muslim men was a precautionary action. This came after the police received information from locals in the Mohammadganj village that a vacant house was being used by Muslim men as a Madarsa for several weeks. The local villagers had raised a complaint that congregational namaz was being held regularly at that house without obtaining permission from the administration.

“Conducting any new religious activity or gathering without permission is a violation of the law. Strict action will be taken if such activities are repeated,” the officer said.

Speaking to TOI, SP Verma said, “We received a tip-off that a house has been turned into a makeshift mosque and madarsa. This was illegal. Those involved were told not to repeat such activity without proper permission.”

As per some media reports, the house in question belonged to one Hanif and was being used for Jummah Namaz temporarily. However, other reports say that the house belongs to one Resham Khan, whose husband, Haseen Khan, died a few years back. Resham and her two children are reported to be working in another state.

While the police only detained and questioned the Muslim men who conducted namaz inside a private house without permission, Islamists and their liberal cheerleaders peddled a narrative that they were ‘arrested’ simply for doing namaz.

Some media reports said that the accused were booked under Sections pertaining to breach of peace, and were produced before a magistrate on 18^th January and that the accused have been granted bail by the magistrate.

Superintendent of Police (Bareilly) Anurag Arya said that while the 12 Muslim men were detained and questioned, they were not arrested. He added that the police issued warnings to them.

“Considering the sensitivity of the matter and apprehending the possibility of tension in the area, a team immediately rushed to the spot. After reaching there, the police spoke to the people and assessed the situation. To prevent any future disturbance or law-and-order issues, all the concerned persons were strictly instructed not to repeat such activities at the private place in the future,” a police officer said.

Thus, while Muslim men were indeed offering Namaz inside a vacant house, and allegedly using it as mosque and madarsa without administrative permission, the claim that they were arrested for doing namaz on their own homes is not true. They neither offered namaz in their own homes nor were they arrested. The police only detained and questioned them. All the detained persons were released, and only a warning was issued to them not repeat their actions in future.