Special Correspondent: Police have arrested 12 Muslims for offering congregational prayers in a village in Bareilly district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.A case has been registered against these Muslims after a video of them, offering congregational prayers in a house, went viral.

According to Indian media reports, the police have registered a case after locals reported that an empty house was allegedly being used as a makeshift mosque for several weeks. All 12 arrested people were produced before a magistrate and the court has released them on bail. According to the police, initial investigation revealed that the empty house belongs to a person named Hanif and it was being used temporarily for Friday prayers.

Congress leader Dr Shamma Muhammad, questioning the discriminatory action of the police against the 12 people, commented on social media that the Uttar Pradesh police have arrested 12 Muslims in Bareilly for offering prayers in their own houses. He asked on what basis these Muslims were arrested? Which law did they break? He said the UP police are busy intimidating their own citizens for offering prayers in their homes.