UP police's public shaming of men returning from Milad-un-Nabi procession sparks outrage

The Uttar Pradesh police arrested 33 young Muslims for allegedly creating a ruckus while returning after the Milad-un-Nabi procession on September 5. Fourteen bikes were also seized.

According to the police, a designated route had been mapped out for the procession. “After the procession ended, instead of returning home, they diverted into areas predominantly inhabited by Hindus, caused unrest, and raised religious slogans,” the Ferozabad police told Siasat.com.

The police said the arrests were based on videos shared by local Hindus on social media. “Our media cell is looking into the investigation,” an officer added.

When Siasat.com requested access to the videos from the Firozabad media cell, the request was declined, citing confidentiality.

They were humiliated: Owaisi

A video posted by the Firozabad police on their X account showing the arrested individuals holding their ears has sparked criticism on social media, including from AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP, Asaduddin Owaisi.

वीडियो गिरफ्तार अभियुक्तगणः---@Uppolice @dgpup @adgzoneagra @digrangeagra pic.twitter.com/oXB0piwRaQ

— Firozabad Police (@firozabadpolice) September 6, 2025

Condemning the arrest, Owaisi flagged the humiliating treatment of Muslims and selective bias by the UP police. “For the mere ‘crime’ of straying from the route of a procession, photos and videos of these boys are being made to humiliate them,” his X post read.

यूपी पुलिस की सख़्ती सिर्फ़ मुसलमान नौजवानों के ख़िलाफ़ दिखाई देती है। सिर्फ़ जुलूस के रास्ते से भटकने के “जुर्म” में इन लड़कों की तस्वीरें और वीडियो बनाकर इन्हें ज़लील किया जा रहा है। अप्रैल में कानपुर के एक समुदाय के जुलूस के दौरान मुसलमानों की दुकानों को निशाना बनाया गया था।… https://t.co/HubhSqZcDn

— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) September 8, 2025

Dangerous trend: Human rights

Human rights defenders have pointed out that this is a case of public targeting and called the public shaming ‘state-sponsored humiliation’.

Representing the accused, advocate Sagheer Ahmed denied police allegations. “The procession route was designated, but due to traffic, some madrasa students took another road to return home after the procession ended, so as not to inconvenience commuters. They were then picked up by police and booked for merely taking another road,” Ahmed was quoted by Maktoob Media.

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Nadeem Khan from the Association for the Protection of Civil Rights claimed the incident is a part of a larger trend of policing Muslims through fear, spectacle and public shaming.

“Forcing young men to hold their ears in apology on camera affects them psychologically and stigmatises them in society. Some of them are just kids who only took another route to avoid traffic,” he said.

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