Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Muslim cleric booked for remarks on Kanwariyas in UP
A very important religious leader named Maulana Sajid Rashidi is in trouble with the police.
He talked about Kanwariyas, who are Hindu pilgrims that walk long distances to collect holy water from the Ganga river for their temples.
He asked whether people who drink alcohol, fight with police, or damage a school van can truly be called devotees of Lord Shiva.
Some Hindu people felt his words insulted their religion and hurt their feelings.
A man named Narendra Panwar complained to the police about the remarks.
Police in Muzaffarnagar registered a case against the leader on Saturday.
The law they used is about acts that deliberately hurt people's religious feelings.
Other Hindu activists also held a protest on Friday, asking for action against him.
A state leader named Kapil Dev Agarwal said the remarks are bad for peace between communities and even suggested the leader be sent to a mental hospital in Agra.
Rashidi, who lives in Delhi, is the president of the All India Imam Association and has said he was not talking about all Kanwariyas.
A case was registered at the Civil Lines police station in Muzaffarnagar against Delhi-based Maulana Sajid Rashidi, president of the All India Imam Association, for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Kanwariyas.
The case was filed on Saturday under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which covers deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.
In an IANS interview, Rashidi questioned whether people who consume alcohol, assault police personnel and vandalise a school van can be called Shiva devotees, saying he was not speaking about all Kanwariyas.
Hindu activist Narendra Panwar, who leads the Hindu Sangharsh Samiti, filed the complaint, and activists led by him protested on Friday demanding action against Rashidi.
Uttar Pradesh minister Kapil Dev Agarwal condemned the remarks as detrimental to social harmony and said Rashidi has 'lost his mental balance' and should be sent to a mental hospital in Agra.
- Who
- Maulana Sajid Rashidi, the Delhi-based president of the All India Imam Association, against whom a case was registered following a complaint by Hindu activist Narendra Panwar.
- What
- A case (FIR) was registered against Rashidi under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Kanwariyas that outraged religious feelings.
- When
- Saturday, August 8, after Hindu activists led by Panwar protested the previous Friday.
- Where
- Civil Lines police station in Muzaffarnagar district, Uttar Pradesh.
- Why
- The remarks were alleged to insult the Hindu religion and hurt the sentiments of its followers, which officials said is detrimental to social harmony.
Hindu activists and critics
Maulana Sajid Rashidi
The remarks
Hindu activists and critics
Rashidi's remarks about Kanwariyas were derogatory and insulted the Hindu religion, hurting the sentiments of its followers.
Maulana Sajid Rashidi
Rashidi says he only questioned whether people who consume alcohol, assault police personnel and vandalise a school van can be called Shiva devotees.
Scope of the criticism
Hindu activists and critics
The complaint and the police case treat the remarks as an attack on Kanwariyas and the Hindu religion as a whole.
Maulana Sajid Rashidi
Rashidi clarified that he was not speaking about all participants in the Kanwar Yatra, only those engaged in objectionable conduct.
- Police case against
- Maulana Sajid Rashidi
- Role of accused
- President, All India Imam Association
- Allegation
- Objectionable remarks about Kanwariyas insulting Hindu religious beliefs
- Legal provision
- Section 299, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)
- Complainant
- Narendra Panwar, leader of Hindu Sangharsh Samiti
- Police station
- Civil Lines, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh
- Date of case registration
- Saturday, August 8
- Kanwar Yatra period
- July 30 to August 11
