Uttar Pradesh and Bihar police issue warnings to mosques; Muslim leaders call it ‘intimidation to silence voices’
Team Clarion
NOIDA/LUCKNOW/PATNA — A wave of anger is sweeping through Muslim communities in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar after the administration began issuing notices to imams of mosques and local Muslim committees, forcing them to sign bonds in a move seen as a crackdown on any protest against the Waqf Bill.
The bill, recently passed by parliament, has drawn sharp criticism from Muslim organisations and opposition leaders who allege that it is “anti-Muslim” and intended to weaken Waqf properties and Muslim institutions across India. In response, the authorities have ramped up police presence and surveillance, especially around mosques. “Is it now a crime to protest peacefully? Are we not even allowed to raise our voices when our rights are being snatched?” asked Maulana Shamsuddin, an imam from Noida, visibly upset after receiving a police notice. “This is harassment. Forcing religious leaders to sign a ₹50,000 bond is not democracy. It’s a dictatorship.”
According to local sources, police personnel in Noida, adjacent to the national capital, visited several mosques and instructed the imams and committee members to sign bonds, which include conditions not to participate in any protest or incite gatherings against the Waqf Bill. Many of them, under pressure, have reluctantly complied.
A senior police officer in Noida, DCP Harish Chander, confirmed the action: “As a precautionary measure, we have issued notices to religious leaders to maintain peace and order. The bond is a preventive step to ensure that there is no breach of law.”
However, Muslim leaders say this is a form of targeted policing aimed solely at silencing dissent. “Why only mosques? Why only Muslims? Are we terrorists in their eyes?” said Advocate Faizan Khan, a social activist based in Lucknow. “The Constitution gives every citizen the right to protest, but when Muslims protest, it suddenly becomes a threat to law and order.”
Several mosques in Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, and other districts in Uttar Pradesh have reportedly received similar notices. In some cases, elderly imams have been called to police stations and warned not to encourage any form of agitation.
