“Protesting Attacks on Mosques and Madrasas Is Our Fundamental Right”: MP Iqra Hasan Detained in Delhi

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan was among those detained by Delhi Police during a protest at Jantar Mantar on Tuesday against alleged attacks on mosques, madrasas, qabaristans and other Muslim institutions, as well as concerns over the exclusion of voters during the Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls.

Speaking during the protest, Iqra Hasan said Muslims have a fundamental right to peacefully raise their concerns over attacks on their religious and community institutions. The demonstration was organised by the Monitoring Committee for Indian Muslims, which had called for wider attention to issues concerning religious sites and voter registration.

Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rahman Barq and Students Islamic Organisation of India National President Abdul Hafeez were also among those detained, according to reports Maktoob Media

The protest also focused on the ongoing SIR of electoral rolls, with organisers alleging that eligible voters were being excluded from electoral lists. The Election Commission has maintained that the revision process follows established legal procedures. Following a September 26 meeting, the Commission announced that Booth Level Officers would visit the homes of people who received notices over unmapped entries or logical discrepancies to collect documents, reducing the need for such voters to appear personally before election officials.

Visuals from the protest showed women protesters attempting to stop a police bus carrying detained demonstrators at Jantar Mantar.

Separately, CPI(M) leaders were also detained in Delhi during a demonstration linked to the electoral roll controversy. CPI(M) General Secretary M.A. Baby, Polit Bureau members B.V. Raghavulu and R. Arun Kumar, senior leaders Brinda Karat and Subhashini Ali, Delhi State Secretary Anurag Saxena, Rajya Sabha MP V. Sivadasan and others were among those detained, according to the party. CPI(M) criticised the police action and demanded changes in the functioning of the Election Commission.

The Delhi protests come amid a wider political dispute over the SIR process and the functioning of the Election Commission. Several opposition parties and civil society groups have raised concerns over voter exclusions, while the Election Commission has rejected suggestions that internal differences have affected its decision making.

Activist Nadeem Khan, associated with the Monitoring Committee for Indian Muslims, was also reported by organisers to have been placed under house arrest ahead of the Jantar Mantar demonstration.

The protest was part of a broader campaign calling for attention to alleged attacks on Muslim institutions, protection of voting rights and greater transparency in the electoral process.