“We will not be silenced,” say Muslim MPs, leaders detained at Delhi protest against mosque attacks, SIR

A protest against repeated attacks on mosques and other places of worship, the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and violence against marginalised communities was held at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Tuesday. MPs Ziaur Rahman Barq, Mohibbullah Nadvi and Iqra Munawar Hassan were among those detained by Delhi Police, along with several other protesters, including women.

Nadeem Khan, national secretary of the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR), was kept under house arrest from 9:30 am ahead of the protest.

Organised by the Monitoring Committee of Indian Muslims (MCIM), the protest drew MPs, civil society members, activists and representatives of Muslim organisations. Among those who joined were Kairana MP Iqra Munawar Hassan, Sambhal MP Ziaur Rahman Barq, Rampur MP Mohibbullah Nadvi, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind president Syed Sadatullah Hussaini, former MP Kunwar Danish Ali, AIMIM Delhi state President Dr Shoaib Jamai, , academic and activist Apoorvanand, Minakshi Singh of the Congress, and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind vice-president Malik Mohtasim Khan.

Also among those detained were Malik Mohtasim Khan, SIO president Abdul Hafeez, and Zia Pathan of APCR Madhya Pradesh.

Fraternity Movement National General Secretary Lubaib Basheer, along with Farhan, Asim, Rabeeh and Ayaan, are among those detained and are being held at different police stations.

Iqra Munawar Hassan criticised the government over its handling of issues affecting minorities, saying that officials who are educated and aware of the law should not be working “at the government’s behest” and in a manner resembling slavery.

“The administration, which is educated and knows the law, is working at the government’s behest in a manner that resembles slavery. This is completely discriminatory. Our country cannot move forward like this,” she said.

“Muslims have a fundamental right to protest attacks on their mosques, madrasas, qabaristans and other institutions,” she asserted.

Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rahman Barq said, “We will not be silenced,” condemning the “Delhi Police’s attack on the protest.”

“Our fight will continue until our last breath. We will keep fighting until our people get justice,” he said.

Protesters raised slogans including “Let minorities live in peace”, “Stop bulldozer action” and “Stop attacks on mosques.”

One of the women protesters who was detained said she and others had come to question the violence faced by Muslims but were detained before they could raise their concerns.

“Everywhere, Muslims were facing this kind of treatment. Why are they doing this? We came here only to ask these questions, but they detained us even before we could say anything,” she said.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind demanded the immediate release of the protesters detained by Delhi Police.

Lubaib Basheer said police had denied permission for the protest and then detained and manhandled protesters, including elected representatives and community leaders.

“Delhi Police denied us permission to protest and then detained and manhandled us, including elected representatives and community leaders, for speaking out against attacks on mosques. The defiance of Muslims in Ujjain shows why we must stand together. We urge everyone to join the protest,” said Basheer.

The protest came a day after Muslims were forced to remove parts of the historic Shahi Masjid in Ujjain to avert bulldozer action as part of a road-widening project ahead of Simhastha 2028.