A controversy has erupted in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh after a video showing Samajwadi Party (SP) district vice-president Haji Mohammad Usman, uncle of Bilari MLA Mohammad Faheem Irfan, offering prayers at the government-run Circuit House surfaced on social media, prompting objections from a Hindu organisation and eventually leading to the registration of an FIR.
The Moradabad administration has said action is being taken following the complaint, while the local SP leadership had not issued a separate statement on the controversy at the time of the reported incident. Congress MP Pawan Khera reacted strongly to the reports of FIR against Usman and implied that he was being targeted for his Muslim identity. “He happens to be Haji Mohammad Usman – Samajwadi Party district vice-president, and the uncle of Bilari MLA Mohammad Faheem Irfan – a Muslim. What a disgrace!,” Khera wrote on X. A video, reportedly recorded by an SP worker, shows him offering prayers beside a parked car. others questioned the offering of prayers at a government property and the circumstances in which it took place While some users described the incident as an individual’s exercise of religious faith. Rohan Saxena, state president of the Rashtriya Bajrang Dal, questioned the administration’s decision and demanded an explanation about the circumstances under which Usman was allowed to offer prayers at the Circuit House. “Under which rule did the administration permit the offering of prayers? The administration should clarify in what capacity space was provided to the SP leader to offer prayers on the Circuit House premises. Is there any rule allowing a legislator’s relative to offer prayers in a government building in this manner? Saxena also alleged that administrative officials often hesitate to provide space at the Circuit House to social organisations for meetings, and questioned how prayers could consequently be offered there. Following the controversy, PWD junior engineer Anit Kumar submitted a complaint at Majhola police station. 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. 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. Defending his action, he also referred to religious practices associated with other activities in the country. “This is a matter of worship. The latest controversy is not the first time Usman’s name has surfaced in connection with a political or administrative dispute. He was also the village head of his ancestral village, Ibrahimapur. He is the younger brother of former Bilari MLA Haji Mohammad Irfan and the uncle of current Bilari MLA Mohammad Faheem Irfan. 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. Following a complaint, a district-level verification committee examined the caste certificates of MLA Mohammad Faheem and his uncle 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 Mohammad Faheem, Haji Mohammad Usman and Usman’s two daughters, Farheen Jahan and Samreen Jahan. The controversy has also brought renewed attention to the issue of offering prayers at public or government-controlled premises. The division bench comprised Justice Saral Srivastava and Justice Garima Prasad. Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi had supported the High Court’s decision, saying that Islamic teachings discourage offering prayers at places where doing so could lead to a dispute, create a spectacle, or invite objections. The Circuit House, meanwhile, is a government property maintained with public funds. Unlike an unrestricted public space, such facilities are generally used for official stays, meetings and other authorised government-related purposes. It is unclear how the peaceful prayers obstructed public way or caused nuisance.
During the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, Usman delivered a speech at an election rally addressed by SP chief Akhilesh Yadav in Bilari. In May 2026, the Allahabad High Court, while dealing with a matter concerning prayers on public land, observed that public land carries equal rights for all and that its one-sided use is not legally permissible. The FIR was registered under 285 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) and 292 (punishment for public nuisance) of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita.
After the meeting ended, Usman stepped outside and offered prayers near the lawn, according to officials. If there is no such rule, strict action should be taken,” Saxena said. Usman parked his vehicle on the road leading to the Circuit House and offered prayers behind it, according to the complaint. He said he was unaware of when the video had been recorded and that it was common for people to offer prayers wherever they happened to be when the time for prayers arrived. It is possible that I offered prayers on the premises on such an occasion,” Usman said. He said Saraswati Vandana is traditionally performed before some educational programmes and Bhoomi Pujan is conducted before government construction projects, arguing that there should not be a “double standard” in such matters. My offering prayers neither blocked any road nor caused any inconvenience to anyone,” he said.
Usman is the SP’s district vice-president and has previously served as a district panchayat member. The video surfaced on social media on Friday, triggering a debate over whether religious activity should be permitted on government premises.
Lal Bihari Yadav, Leader of the Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, was staying at the Circuit House under official protocol and had held a review meeting with local SP leaders. “During this period, a case came to light in which an SP leader who had arrived to meet him offered prayers at the Circuit House. The incident took place on Thursday, September 3, after a review meeting of SP leaders at the Circuit House.
Moradabad ADM City Ankit Srivastava said the district administration had received the official protocol concerning Legislative Council Leader of the Opposition Lal Bihari Yadav and had made arrangements for his stay at the Circuit House in accordance with the rules. The administration is taking action in the matter,” the ADM said.
