New Delhi / Muzaffarnagar – All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi has strongly criticized the Uttar Pradesh administration and police for allegedly allowing vigilante groups to act as a “parallel government” during the Kanwar Yatra in Muzaffarnagar.
Owaisi raised serious concerns after reports surfaced of roadside eatery staff being harassed, asked for Aadhaar cards, and even forced to remove their pants to “prove their religion.”
“What Kind of Filth Is This?” Owaisi Asks
Speaking out, Owaisi questioned the legitimacy and impunity of these groups:
“Who gave you the right to enter a hotel and ask someone their name or demand their Aadhaar card? Are you the police? Are you the law? Are you the government?”
“They went to the hotel and asked for the Aadhaar card of the owner. When they didn’t get it, they said, ‘pant utaaro’ — ‘take off your pants.’ Kya hai yeh gandagi? — What kind of filth is this? This filth must stop.”
He accused the government of failing to control these vigilantes, referencing a Supreme Court order that prohibits harassment of business owners during religious events.
Context: Harassment of Minorities During Kanwar Yatra
Owaisi’s remarks follow disturbing reports from Muzaffarnagar, where members of the Bharatiya Sanatan Suraksha Dal, allegedly followers of controversial seer Swamy Yashveer Maharaj, forced hotel and eatery staff to prove their religion — in some cases by stripping them.
The group reportedly targets minority-run establishments during the ongoing Kanwar Yatra, a major Hindu pilgrimage.
Supreme Court Intervention Ignored?
In July 2023, the Supreme Court stayed a controversial UP government order requiring eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display the owner’s name — a move many believed was aimed at religious profiling.
The court ruled that establishments were only required to display the type of food served, not owner identity, and warned against using state machinery to enable discriminatory practices.
Senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi had called the directive a “camouflage order” with no legal standing.
Despite the court’s ruling, similar directives were issued statewide, with Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh adopting comparable policies, drawing flak from the Opposition and NDA allies, including JD(U) and RLD.
Rule of Law vs Mob Rule
Owaisi concluded by demanding immediate government intervention:
“Our demand is simple: follow the rule of law. If the police won’t act, these people will keep behaving like they’re the superior government.”
The incident has intensified the national debate on vigilantism, religious freedom, and the misuse of identification policies, with critics warning of increasing mob justice and systemic discrimination.