UP Police have booked hundreds of Muslims in Muzaffarnagar who symbolically protested against the Waqf Amendment Bill by wearing black armbands during Friday prayers and Eid prayers, for “disrupting peace.”
The city magistrate has issued notices to hundreds of people, stating that “the protestors incited the general public and endangered law and order.”
The notice under Section 130 of the Indian Civil Defence Code stated, “This challan (charge) report has been received from the Officer-in-Charge of Civil Lines Police Station, Muzaffarnagar, which states that the above-mentioned respondents wore black armbands during Friday and Eid prayers in protest against the Waqf Board Bill.”
“It is believed that in the future, the respondents may incite the general public and spread misinformation, thereby disturbing public order,” read the notice.
The administration has directed them to appear in court on April 16, 2025, and furnish a surety bond of two lakh rupees, accusing them of disturbing the peace.
Naeem Tyagi, principal of Madrasa Mahmudiya, also received a notice despite not wearing a black armband.
Meanwhile, the protesters claimed that they had protested peacefully inside the mosque, did not provoke anyone, and did not break the law.
An alert has been issued across Muslim-dominated districts such as the capital Lucknow, Sambhal, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Moradabad, Amroha, Rampur, Firozabad, Aligarh, Agra, Bareilly, and Shamli, and heavy security forces have been deployed following the introduction of the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha.
The police administration, including Superintendent of Police Satyanarayan Prajapat, DIG Saharanpur, DIG/SSP Muzaffarnagar, and ADM (E) Narendra Bahadur Singh, conducted a flag march in Muslim-dominated areas on Thursday to “maintain law and order and strengthen security arrangements.”
