Indian police have arrested over a dozen members of the Tablighi Jamaat in the BJP-ruled state of Rajasthan following a complaint alleging religious preaching. Twelve members of the Tablighi Jamaat from Godhra, Gujarat, were detained by local police in Rajasthan’s Banswara district. 

The arrests followed a complaint lodged at the Bagidora Town police station by local Hindutva activists, who alleged that a group of 10–12 individuals had been roaming the area for the past two days and engaging in religious preaching, which they claimed was disturbing public peace. 

Police said the men were found in an alley behind a local mosque. During questioning, they identified themselves as members of the Tablighi Jamaat and stated that their purpose was to encourage Muslims in the village to offer prayers ahead of the upcoming month of Ramadan. 

Rajasthan-based daily Patrika and other Indian media outlets reported that the group was engaged in spreading religious awareness among the local Muslim population. The Tablighi Jamaat, formally known as the society of preachers, is a transnational Sunni Islamic missionary movement founded in 1926 by Maulana Muhammad Ilyas in India.

The movement emphasizes strict adherence to the Quran and Sunnah through personal reform and grassroots outreach. It is one of the world’s largest non-political and decentralized Muslim organizations, with millions of followers who participate in voluntary missionary tours, known as khurooj, aimed at encouraging religious practice and piety within the Muslim community.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)