Video of Muslim men offering namaz on train in India sparks outrage

Local Indian media reported that state police and Railway Protection Force are investigating matter

By Web Desk
|
October 25, 2022
Muslim men offering prayers on a public train in India's Uttar Pradesh.— Screengrab via YouTube

A video of Muslim men reportedly shot while offering prayers on a public train in India's Uttar Pradesh has sparked outrage.

First shared by former BJP MLA Deeplal Bharati, the video shows four old men offering prayers in the aisle of a train while it was stationed at UP's Kushinagar.

Indian media reported that the state police and the country's railway protection force are investigating the matter.

In the video, one man can be heard asking others to wait till the men are done praying.

Whether praying publicly should be allowed is a matter of intense debate in the country. People with right-wing political views have repeatedly said that prayers cause disruption. In response, Muslims residing in India have called it an "allegation and Islamophobia".

Many such incidents have been reported in the recent past. Not long ago, a professor was asked to leave after he was found praying in a public garden of the university. Earlier this year, NDTV reported protests in an area designated for namaz in Haryana where Hindu right-wing groups raised slogans of Jai Shri Ram.