Team Clarion
NEW DELHI – The Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) has unequivocally condemned the brutal killing of six Muslims by the Uttar Pradesh police during a peaceful protest against the survey of the historic Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh.
IAMC is an advocacy organisation of Indian American Muslims and it works on strategic advocacy to promote pluralism and social justice in India. It monitors the political developments in India and raises issues about the safety and security of Muslims and other minorities in the country.
In a press release issued in Washington DC, IAMC said eyewitness accounts from Muslim demonstrators in Sambhal confirmed that the victims were fatally shot when police opened fire on the crowd. The protest was organised in opposition to a survey of the mosque, which was initiated under pressure from Hindu supremacist groups. These groups frequently weaponise such surveys to advance baseless claims that historic mosques were constructed over demolished Hindu temples, calling for their seizure and transfer to Hindu control, the release said.
The killings occur amidst widespread reports of voter suppression targeting Muslims in at least nine constituencies in the Uttar Pradesh by-elections. Incidents included police pointing guns at Muslim women and using batons to intimidate and disperse voters. Uttar Pradesh, governed by the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and led by Yogi Adityanath, a monk-turned-chief minister, has long been a flashpoint for anti-Muslim violence and systemic discrimination.
In recent years, the state has seen punitive demolitions of Muslim properties, beef-related lynchings, the passage of discriminatory laws, the filing of bogus legal cases to claim historic mosques, and the weaponisation of religious festivals to target Muslim neighbourhoods.
“This tragedy highlights the grim reality of unchecked violence against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh,” said IAMC Executive Director Rasheed Ahmed demanding justice for those killed. The killings, combined with alarming reports of voter suppression, underscore the need for an independent investigation into the systemic discrimination and violence against Muslims by the state, he said.
IAMC called on global human rights organisations, civil society groups, and the international community to press for accountability and justice. The systemic targeting of Muslims in Uttar Pradesh should not be ignored, it said.