India detains 12 Muslim men for “praying at home”
Incident in BJP-ruled state highlights pattern of policing Muslim worship as rights groups warn of systematic erosion of religious freedom
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Police in northern India have detained and fined 12 Muslim men for offering prayers inside a private residence, an incident that rights advocates say reflects the growing criminalization of Muslim religious life under Hindu nationalist rule.
The men were detained in Uttar Pradesh state after authorities accused them of offering namaz inside a private house “without permission.” They were booked under legal provisions related to breach of peace, produced before a magistrate, and later released on bail.
Police officials said the action followed information that a vacant house was allegedly being used as a temporary madrasa. A senior officer stated that conducting new religious activities or gatherings without official approval violated the law and warned that similar actions would invite stricter measures.
The incident came to public attention after a video purportedly showing the men praying inside the house circulated widely on social media. The footage was amplified by Hindutva-aligned accounts, many of which accompanied it with Islamophobic commentary and demands for police intervention.
A preliminary inquiry later found that the house belonged to a private individual and was being used temporarily for Friday prayers. Police acknowledged there was no permanent construction, institutional setup or organized religious establishment at the site.
Legal observers note that prayers inside private homes are common across India, particularly in areas where access to mosques is limited or where worshippers lack adequate communal prayer spaces. They argue that treating such practices as violations of public order effectively places Muslim worship under heightened surveillance.
Uttar Pradesh, governed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, has seen repeated instances in which Muslim religious practices are framed as administrative or law-and-order concerns. These have included objections to prayers in homes and open spaces, sealing of mosques during religious gatherings, and legal action over alleged unauthorized religious use of property.
Civil liberties groups warn that the selective use of public order laws against Muslims — while similar practices by the majority community face little scrutiny — points to institutional bias rather than neutral enforcement. They say such measures erode constitutional guarantees of religious freedom and normalize state intrusion into private acts of faith.
For many Indian Muslims, the detentions are seen not as an isolated incident but as part of a wider climate in which routine religious practices increasingly carry the risk of punishment.
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