Indian police arrest Muslim preachers
Arrests of Islamic preachers ahead of Ramadan highlight growing criminalization of Muslim religious practice under India’s security laws
NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — Indian police have arrested twelve Muslim men associated with the Tablighi Jamaat in the western state of Rajasthan, accusing them of conducting religious outreach without prior authorization and invoking public order concerns — a move that rights advocates say reflects the expanding criminalization of Muslim religious life in the country.
The arrests took place in Banswara district after local police detained the group in Bagidora town, alleging that they had entered the area without notifying authorities and were engaged in religious activities ahead of the Islamic month of Ramadan.
The men, who had traveled from the neighboring state of Gujarat, told police they were visiting villages to encourage religious observance among fellow Muslims.
Police officials said the group was stopped near a mosque and questioned about their presence. Authorities claimed the men failed to obtain prior permission for their activities and accused them of behaving “aggressively” during questioning — a justification frequently cited in preventive detentions involving Muslim groups.
Citing the possibility of a breach of public order, police detained the men under preventive provisions of India’s criminal procedure framework, which allow authorities to hold individuals without charging them with a specific crime. After being held at a local police outpost, the men were later escorted to the Gujarat border and released, according to officials.
No weapons, banned materials, or calls to violence were reported in connection with the group.
The incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of Muslim religious expression in India, where routine practices — including preaching, group prayer, and religious travel — have increasingly been framed as security concerns.
Muslim clerics and community groups say requirements such as prior police notification or permission for religious outreach are often applied selectively, effectively placing Islamic practice under surveillance.
The Tablighi Jamaat, founded in 1926, is a global Islamic movement focused on personal piety and non-political religious revival. Despite its apolitical nature, the group has faced repeated police action and public suspicion in India in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, when it became the subject of widespread misinformation and stigmatization.
Civil rights advocates say the Rajasthan arrests illustrate a broader pattern in which Muslim identity itself becomes grounds for preventive policing, with vague claims of “law and order” used to justify detentions that would not typically apply to other religious groups.
As Ramadan approaches, Muslim organizations warn that such actions risk normalizing the idea that Islamic preaching and community outreach constitute public threats — blurring the line between security enforcement and the policing of faith.
We must take charge of our narrative. Research indicates that 92% of their Muslim coverage is negative. Help us change that.
Have Your Say!
Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@soundvision.com.
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a Muslim Network TV’s representative. You can also get in touch in the following ways:
Tweet: @MuslimNetworkTV
