Muslim activist Nadeem Khan detained ahead of Delhi protest over mosque demolitions
APCR condemns detention as protesters gather at Jantar Mantar
New Delhi: Muslim activist and Association for the Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) secretary Nadeem Khan was detained by Delhi police ahead of a protest against attacks on and demolitions of religious sites in India.
According to Kashmir Media, APCR, in a statement, confirmed Khan’s detention and termed the police action “illegal”.
“Activist Nadeem Khan was detained by Delhi Police at his office at 9:30 AM on 29th September 2026, following a protest call issued by the Monitoring Committee for Indian Muslims. The detention was carried out to prevent Khan from joining the announced protest,” APCR said in a statement. It added that his detention raised concerns over restrictions on peaceful protest and the freedom of activists to participate in public demonstrations.
The Monitoring Committee for Indian Muslims (MCIM) had called for a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Tuesday to opposed attacks on and demolitions of religious sites.
In his appeal for the protest, Khan had said “As you all know that bulldozer attack is now being waged on the religious places. Whether it is mosque, madrasa or mazar, bulldozer are being run on all these places. You have heard the case of Saharanpur Mosque which was bulldozed in the name of ceiling. Then, such incident happened in Shalimar Bagh, Delhi”. He pointed out past incidents from Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Uttarakhand where mosques or madrasas were sealed or bulldozed.
“Religious places are constantly targeted. The silence of courts on this matter is a big question. Religious places of not just Muslims but also Christians are being targeted. He called on people to gather at Jantar Mantar at 3 pm on September 29 to protest the demolitions and demand action against officials responsible for such actions.
The protest call was also supported by Zafarul Islam Khan, former chairman of Delhi Minority Commission, influential religious leader Maulana Sajjad Noumani, prominent Christian leader and rights activist John Daya, former Rajya Sabha MP Mohammed Adeeb and others.
Despite Khan’s detention, protest was held at Jantar Mantar. Several protesters, including Samajwaid Party MPs Iqra Chaudhry and Ziyaurrahaman Barq, were detained at the protest site.
Khan’s detention drew condemnation from activists, including eminent Indian Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who said, “Delhi police is acting in a blatantly illegal manner.”
