A Muslim man who has been serving food and water to protesters at the ongoing demonstration at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar has alleged that the Uttar Pradesh Police detained members of his family in Ghaziabad and seized personal documents in an effort to locate him, digital news outlet Lallantop reported.

Muhammad Junaid told the news outlet that the police came to his home in Ghaziabad on Thursday evening and took his father away before releasing him late that night. He alleged that officers returned the following morning and again took his father into custody.

He further alleged that the police detained his sister’s father-in-law and brother-in-law in Meerut and took them to the Masoori Police Station in Ghaziabad district.

Junaid further told Lallantop that the police confiscated the bank passbooks of his parents and siblings, as well as Aadhaar cards belonging to family members.

He claimed officers told his family that they would be released only if they brought Junaid to the police station.

He said he was not wanted in any criminal case and had committed no offence.

According to Junaid, he has been at the Jantar Mantar protest since it began on June 6 after noticing that demonstrators were struggling to access drinking water in the summer heat.

He said he started by distributing water before volunteers gradually expanded the effort to provide food and other essentials.

The Cockroach Janta Party criticised the action and said the Uttar Pradesh Police was “wasting its time” by targeting a volunteer instead of criminals.

“Our team is in touch with him and we will never let them victimize him or his family,” the campaign said.

It added that legal action would be taken to challenge any unlawful police action.

Separately, a spokesperson of the campaign condemned the action and called on the Uttar Pradesh Police to end the “illegal, arbitrary, inhumane crackdown against Junaid’s family” and release those detained immediately.

However, the Meerut Police has denied taking any action against Junaid's family, PTI reported.

Senior Superintendent of Police Avinash Pandey told the news agency on Saturday that “no such matter has come to my notice”.

Superintendent of Police Vinayak Gopal Bhonsle told PTI that the Meerut Police had verified the claims with all police station heads and found that no member of Junaid’s family had been detained in the district.

Junaid has alleged that personnel from Ghaziabad police carried out the detentions, including in Meerut, where his relatives live.

Senior Ghaziabad police officers could not be reached for comment despite repeated attempts, PTI reported.

The agitation began in Delhi on June 6, when the Cockroach Janta Party political campaign began a protest at Jantar Mantar to demand the education minister’s resignation.

The minister resigned on Saturday afternoon, saying that he took the step so that “anti-national forces” do not take advantage of the ongoing protests.

On Monday, thousands joined the protest after the police forcibly took activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been on a hunger strike for three weeks, to hospital. Their march to Parliament was met with a crackdown by the police. Dozens were injured as the police used lathis, fired tear gas shells and pellet guns against the demonstrators.

The police action turbocharged the agitation, which spread to other parts of the country.

Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.