A report by the South Asia Justice Campaign (SAJC) has raised concerns over alleged attacks, arrests and other human rights violations against Muslims in India’s Uttar Pradesh ahead of the state’s 2027 assembly election.
The first edition of the organisation’s “Election Watch: Uttar Pradesh, 2027” reviewed incidents reported between 1 August and 30 September 2026.
According to the report, at least four Muslims were killed in suspected religiously motivated hate crimes during the two-month period. This took the number of such deaths documented in Uttar Pradesh in 2026 to at least nine, compared with seven recorded in the state throughout 2025.
The report also documented at least 70 Muslims who were shot and injured by police in what SAJC describes as “half-encounters” across 27 of the state’s 75 districts.
Of the 70 people, 52 were accused of cow slaughter, cattle smuggling or cattle theft, according to the report.
SAJC said 32 such injuries were recorded in August and 38 in September.
In these incidents, police generally said the suspects opened fire while attempting to evade arrest and officers responded in self-defence, with the suspects subsequently being shot, usually in the leg.
On 5 August, a Muslim man was shot dead by police in Shamli, the report said.
It also highlighted a 13 August order by the Allahabad High Court directing the Central Bureau of Investigation to investigate a police shooting in Shravasti. The court questioned a recurring feature of police accounts in which officers were reportedly unharmed while the accused was shot in the leg.
152 Muslims arrested or detained
SAJC said at least 152 Muslims were arrested or detained during the two-month period.
The cases included arrests linked to cow-protection and meat-related allegations, social media posts, criticism of Chief Minister and religious expression.
Seven Muslim women were among those detained in meat-related cases, according to the report.
The organisation also documented at least 16 Muslims who were assaulted in suspected religiously motivated attacks.
Among them was a 12-year-old boy who was allegedly beaten after refusing to chant “Jai Shri Ram”. SAJC said no arrests of attackers had been reported in any of the 14 cases it documented. In two cases, police instead took action against the victims.
Hate speech allegations
The report documented at least 21 statements that SAJC classified as anti-Muslim hate speech during August and September.
Ten of the statements were attributed to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, according to the organisation.
It alleged that Adityanath referred to opposition figures as “followers of Babur”.
The report also cited a statement attributed to the deputy chief minister that studying in madrasas could create a “terrorist-like mindset”. A state minister was also quoted as saying, “We do not need Muslim votes.”
According to the report, there was no information that any elected representative had faced action over the statements.
Muzaffarnagar cases
The report also noted that in September, a court allowed the withdrawal of cases against 25 people over speeches made before the 2013 Muzaffarnagar violence.
Those named included members of Hindu nationalist organisations and BJP leaders, according to SAJC.
More than 60 people were killed in the 2013 violence, most of them Muslims.
The organisation also documented nine incidents involving the demolition of at least 34 Muslim homes, businesses and religious structures during the reporting period.
SAJC further said that the removal of the Uttar Pradesh Madrasa Board’s authority to award degrees had created uncertainty for around 37,000 Muslim students.
The report said opposition leaders were placed under house arrest on at least 12 occasions across 10 districts as political activity increased ahead of the election.
