Protests in India over Waqf (Muslim gift) Amendmdment Bill

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi speaking in Lok Sabha

Protests erupt in India over Waqf Amendment Bill. Thousands of Muslim community members took to the streets in protest. They burned effigies alleging encroachment on religious property.

Protests erupted in various cities in India, including Kolkata, Chennai and Ahmedabad, on Friday (April 4) afternoon.

Numerous people took part in the protest program with the Indian national flag in their hands. They were also seen holding various placards. It read, 'We do not accept the Waqf Amendment', 'Withdraw the Waqf Bill'.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, Muslims took part in the protest immediately after Friday prayers.

The protest was very large in Kolkata that day. Muslims also took to the streets in Ahmedabad, Gujarat today to oppose the Waqf Amendment.

Police were also seen attacking the protesters there. When the elders sat on the streets protesting the Waqf Amendment, the Gujarat Police tried to forcefully remove them.

In Chennai, actor Vijay's political party Tamilang Vettori Kazhagam (TVK) has called for a statewide protest against the central government's Waqf Bill.

TVK activists have gathered in large numbers not only in Chennai but also in other major cities of Tamil Nadu.

The agitation has spread to cities like Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli. The protesters collectively raised slogans, 'Withdraw the Waqf Bill', 'Don't take away the rights of Muslims'.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of the Trinamool Congress has declared regarding the Waqf Bill that she will not allow the rights of Muslims in Bengal to be violated.

Nationally, the BJP's main opposition Congress has also strongly opposed the Waqf Bill. They have accused the BJP of playing politics of division.

After being passed in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, the Waqf Amendment Bill was also passed in the upper house of the Rajya Sabha by a majority vote. After a long debate, the bill passed the last stage of the Parliament on Thursday night with a vote of 128-95.

Indian media reported that after the Lok Sabha, the controversial Waqf Bill was also passed in the Rajya Sabha. According to the law, properties used by donors of the Muslim community for religious, educational and service purposes are called Waqf. These cannot be sold or transferred. The new bill proposes to include non-Muslim members in the Waqf Board. The government claims that this amendment will increase transparency.

The controversial bill has been passed in the lower house of the Indian Parliament, which seeks to bring changes in the management of property donated by Muslims. The bill, called the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed on Wednesday night after a heated debate. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi tore up a copy of the bill while participating in the discussion of the bill.

The bill proposes to include two non-Muslim members in the Waqf Board, which has been strongly opposed by the opposition. The government is taking control of 3.8 million acres of land donated by Muslims in India.

After the bill was passed, Asaduddin Owaisi roared. Which went viral on social media.

Asaduddin Owaisi claimed that the bill is unconstitutional. He raised several questions in strong opposition to the Waqf Bill.

Owaisi said that the law that the government is making is in violation of Article 26 of the Constitution. BJP is trying to create conflict in the country. Tomorrow the Collector and DM will say that this is government property and will put up posters there. Mosques will be closed. He claimed that if this bill is passed, the ancient temples of the country will be protected, but not the mosques.

Owaisi also claimed that the largest minority in the country is being attacked. According to him, this bill will not eliminate the poverty of Muslims.

This Hyderabad MP also said that this bill is against the constitutional provision of equality of all religions. He claimed that it also violates Article 25 of the Constitution.

The government claims that the bill will bring transparency in the management of Waqf property. However, the opposition parties and Muslim groups are alleging that it is an attempt to weaken the constitutional rights of India's largest minority community.

The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha by 288 votes to 232. It has now been sent to the Rajya Sabha, where it will be sent for the President's assent if passed.

The bill will regulate properties such as mosques, madrasas, shelter homes and land donated by Muslims. The opposition claims that the bill gives the government excessive control over these properties and opens the way for interference in Muslim religious activities. – adapted from published stories