Allegations of anti-Muslim bias in police crackdown after violence in MP’s Mhow

“They set both my auto-rickshaws on fire right in front of me,” fifty-four-year-old Sagheer Mohammad Khan, a resident of Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, recalls the horrifying night of Sunday when violence broke out in his neighborhood.

“I was hiding inside my own home, watching from my window as my rickshaws burned. My injured father, my daughter, and my wife were with me, terrified.”

Sagheer told Maktoob that around 11 PM, a mob gathered outside his house near the main square. It began with stone-pelting, injuring his father. Moments later, the attackers broke into his house and assaulted him.

“I somehow managed to save him. Some people from my own neighborhood told me to go inside, assuring me that things had gotten out of hand but I would be safe. The moment I stepped inside, they set my two auto-rickshaws on fire.”

Sagheer claims he has video evidence of the arson and has provided the names of the perpetrators to the police. Yet, despite his complaint, the FIR was filed against “unknown persons,” and no action was taken against those responsible.

Following India’s victory in the Champions Trophy, celebrations in Mhow took a violent turn, leading to communal clashes. Several vehicles and shops were torched. While the physical remains of the destruction have turned to ash, tension in the town remains high.

Local residents allege that police action has been biased, with authorities registering FIRs only against Muslim individuals while ignoring complaints from Muslim victims.

At least twelve people were arrested on Monday in connection with the violence—all of them from the Muslim community. Of the five FIRs registered, four were filed by members of one community, while the fifth was lodged later by the other.

More than two dozen vehicles were either torched or vandalized, and a grocery shop was partially burned.

NSA imposed, allegations of selective action

The Indore district administration invoked the National Security Act (NSA) against two individuals. According to an official statement, Collector and District Magistrate Ashish Singh took this action to maintain peace. The accused, Sohail Qureshi from Batkh Mohalla and Ejaz Khan from Kanchan Vihar Khan Colony, were booked under the draconian NSA, 1980.

However, locals claim the crackdown has been one-sided.

How the violence began

On Sunday night, after India’s cricket victory, a celebratory rally was taken out in Mhow.

According to Jama Masjid Imam Mohammad Javed, a Sutli bomb was thrown at the mosque during the procession. This led to an altercation between people exiting the mosque and those in the rally. The clashes spread to multiple areas, including Patti Bazaar, Market Chowk, Mank Chowk, Sabzi Market, Ghaffar Hotel, and Connaught Road. Vehicles were set on fire, and panic gripped the town.

Members of the Muslim community claim that their businesses and vehicles were deliberately targeted during the violence. Videos of people being assaulted in the streets have also surfaced.

One local resident told Maktoob, “Whoever is guilty, whether Hindu or Muslim, should be punished. But why is only one side facing action?”

Eyewitnesses allege that the rally participants chanted Hindutva slogans outside the mosque, which had no connection to the cricket match. “As soon as the altercation began, the crowd started throwing stones, almost as if they had come prepared for it,” said local journalist Mohammad Asif.

Journalist Asif reported that even on Tuesday, more vehicles belonging to the Muslim community were set on fire. However, when victims approached the police, they were allegedly refused an FIR.

Four people have been reported injured in the violence. Victims say that despite providing video evidence identifying those responsible for burning their vehicles, police deliberately filed complaints against “unknown persons” and failed to take any action.