FIR Against Uttarakhand Mufti Over ‘Threat’ to Muslims; CM Dhami Says No More Politics of Appeasement

In the purported video, the Mufti is heard warning of consequences if madrasas are shut down and saying that people should “wait and see what Muslims would do”.

NewsBharati    29-Aug-2026 13:02:33 PM
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Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said his government will not be intimidated by threats and that strict action will be taken against Ulema Mufti Mujeeb, who is facing an FIR over a purported video of an alleged inflammatory speech during a Milad-un-Nabi procession in Rudrapur.

 CM Pushkar Singh Dhami
 CM Pushkar Singh Dhami (Image : The Hindu)
 
Police registered the FIR after taking cognisance of a video circulating on social media that shows Mufti Mujeeb, identified as the principal of Kheda Madrasa, speaking from a stage at Trishul Chowk in Rudrapur, Udham Singh Nagar district, on August 26.
 
In the purported video, the Mufti is heard warning of consequences if madrasas are shut down and saying that people should “wait and see what Muslims would do”. He is also raised the issue of around eight acres of Eidgah land taken over by the municipal corporation and demanded that it be returned.
 
 
Speaking to reporters in Khatima on August 28, Dhami said the era when governments allegedly gave in to threats for electoral appeasement was over.
 
“Gone are the days when people would succumb to their threats and engage in appeasement for the sake of their votes,” Dhami said, adding that the government had changed and that constitutional norms and the rule of law would determine how the administration acted.
 
The Chief Minister said Uttarakhand would not be intimidated and asserted that the administration would locate the Mufti and take the strictest action permissible under law.
 
Dhami defends crackdown on encroachment and madrasa system
 
Dhami linked the controversy to his government's broader action against illegal occupation and what it considers unauthorised religious or educational structures.
 
He said the state had so far cleared more than 13,000 acres of land from encroachment and illegal occupation and maintained that the campaign would continue.
 
The confrontation also comes against the backdrop of significant changes to Uttarakhand’s madrasa system. The Madrasa Board has been scrapped, with the government moving towards bringing madrasa education under the CBSE system, with the stated objective of providing students with broader, mainstream educational opportunities.
 
The government’s position has been that quality education and integration into the mainstream educational framework are essential, particularly for students who have historically studied under the madrasa system.
 
The move has, however, generated resistance among sections of the madrasa and clerical establishment.
 
The controversy surrounding Mufti Mujeeb’s alleged remarks has therefore added a sharper political and social dimension to the government’s madrasa reforms.
 
 
Mayor rejects demand over Eidgah land
 
Rudrapur Mayor Vikas Sharma rejected any suggestion that the municipal corporation would return government land under pressure.
 
Sharma said that even if demands were raised publicly, the administration would not compromise on government land.
“Let alone eight acres, not even an inch of government land will be relinquished under anyone’s pressure,” he said, while maintaining that the land acquired by the municipal corporation had been under illegal encroachment.
 
Police call remarks an attempt to disturb communal harmony
 
Circle Officer Vibhav Saini said the alleged remarks were viewed as an attempt to disturb communal harmony.
 
According to police, the FIR was registered on the instructions of the district Senior Superintendent of Police after authorities took cognisance of the video circulating online.
 
Amid the controversy, reports said Mufti Mujeeb was not at his residence. Police are attempting to locate him as the investigation proceeds.
Mufti CM Pushkar Singh Dhami Madarasa