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FIR against Samajwadi Party leader after video shows him offering namaz at Circuit House in Moradabad
Based on a complaint, an FIR was registered under Sections 285 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) and 292 (punishment for public nuisance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, a police officer said.
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A first information report (FIR) was registered against Samajwadi Party (SP) district vice-president Haji Mohammad Usman in Moradabad on Friday after a video on social media showed him offering namaz at the government-run Circuit House following a party meeting, officials said on Saturday.
Usman, a former district panchayat member, is the uncle of Bilari MLA Mohammad Faheem Irfan.
The incident took place on Thursday (September 3) after a review meeting of SP leaders at the Circuit House where Lal Bihari Yadav, Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, was staying.
After the meeting, Usman stepped outside and offered prayers near the lawn, according to officials. A video showing him offering prayers beside a parked car surfaced on social media on Friday.
Ankit Srivastava, the Moradabad additional magistrate (City), said the district administration had received the official protocol concerning Lal Bihari Yadav and arranged for his stay at the Circuit House in accordance with the rules.
“During this period, a case came to light in which an SP leader who arrived to meet him offered prayers at the Circuit House. The administration is taking action in the matter,” the ADM said.
Following the controversy, Anit Kumar, PWD junior engineer, submitted a complaint at Majhola police station. According to the complaint, Usman parked his vehicle on the road leading to the Circuit House and offered prayers behind it.
The complaint alleged that the parked vehicle and the prayers caused inconvenience to people and vehicles entering and leaving the Circuit House. Police subsequently registered an FIR on Friday.
Moradabad City SP Kumar Ranvijay Singh said the circuit house in-charge had complained that he received a video showing a person offering namaz on the premises without permission. “It was also alleged that the activity caused obstruction to traffic,” he said.
Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered under Sections 285 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) and 292 (punishment for public nuisance) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the officer said.
Usman, however, rejected any suggestion of wrongdoing and described the incident as an act of worship.
“It often happens that when we are travelling somewhere, it becomes time for prayers, and we offer prayers wherever we are. It is possible that I offered prayers on the premises on such an occasion,” Usman said.
“My offering prayers neither blocked any road nor caused any inconvenience to anyone,” he said.
Rohan Saxena, state president of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, said, “Is there any rule allowing a legislator’s relative to offer prayers in a government building in this manner? If there is no such rule, strict action should be taken.”
This is not the first time Usman’s name has surfaced in connection with a controversy.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, Usman delivered a speech at an election rally addressed by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in Bilari. A case was subsequently registered against him on allegations of violating the Model Code of Conduct and delivering an inflammatory speech.
His name had also surfaced in a caste certificate controversy in February this year. Following a complaint, a district-level verification committee examined the caste certificates of MLA Mohammad Faheem and Mohammad Usman. The inquiry found that their certificates identifying them as members of the Jhojha community under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category were not in accordance with the applicable rules.
The administration subsequently cancelled the OBC caste certificates of Faheem, Usman and Usman’s two daughters, Farheen Jahan and Samreen Jahan.
