Muezzin assaulted by police in Uttar Pradesh after Fajr call to prayer
Lucknow: In a stark example of systemic anti-Muslim bias, a muezzin (prayer caller) was brutally beaten and verbally abused by police immediately after delivering the Fajr (dawn) adhan (Islamic call to prayer) at a mosque in BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh state.
According to Kashmir Media Service, CCTV footage shows Sub-Inspector Vinod Chaudhary aggressively pushing and striking Muhammad Irfan, the muezzin of Medina Masjid in Muzaffarnagar’s Sarwat locality, moments after he stepped outside to place the donation box.
Irfan, in a media interview, said that the officer attacked him without provocation, falsely claiming the adhan was “illegal” despite the mosque possessing valid written permission from the district administration.
“He started thrashing me without saying a word,” Irfan recounted. “When I tried to show the permission letter, he refused to look and kept asking why I was giving the adhan.”
Accompanied by four to five constables, the officer dragged Irfan to Civil Lines police station, where the assault reportedly continued. Irfan said the officer hurled Islamophobic slurs, telling him, “If you’re so fond of giving adhan, go to Pakistan.” He was detained illegally for several hours until local residents gathered and secured his release.
Muslim organisations have condemned the incident as part of a disturbing pattern in Uttar Pradesh, where even legally sanctioned religious practices are targeted.
Leaders from Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind met the victim and submitted a formal complaint to the Senior Superintendent of Police, demanding immediate suspension of SI Vinod Chaudhary and strict departmental action. Advocate Javed called the assault a direct violation of constitutional religious freedoms, warning, “Without swift punishment, trust between police and minorities will erode further”.
