New Delhi:
Thousands of protesters gathered on Kolkata streets Friday afternoon – after weekly prayers by the Muslim community – to protest the Waqf Amendment Bill passed by Parliament this week.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu’s Chennai, where actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had earlier announced a statewide protest.
Visuals of the protests from Ahmedabad suggested a more charged atmosphere; a video shared by ANI showed police trying to forcibly remove elderly demonstrators squatting on the road.
From Tamil Nadu, TVK workers gathered across Chennai and major cities, like Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli, and raised slogans like ‘reject the Waqf Bill’ and ‘do not take away Muslims’ rights’.
The Tamil actor-politician – seen increasingly as a dark horse before next year’s Assembly election – called the Waqf Bill “anti-democratic” and said its passage asks questions of India’s secular foundation.
Meanwhile, visuals from the Bengal capital showed a large crowd carrying posters proclaiming ‘we reject Waqf amendment’ and ‘Reject Waqf Bill’ gathering at public meeting sites. Many of the protests, news agency ANI said, were organised by the Joint Forum for Waqf Protection.
Huge Protests In Kolkata, Chennai After Waqf Bill Clears Parliament
Among the big changes, the revised Waqf laws mandate the nomination of two non-Muslim members to state Waqf boards and the central Waqf council.
- NDTV News Desk
- India News
- Apr 04, 2025 16:00 pm IST
- Published OnApr 04, 2025 16:00 pm IST
- Last Updated OnApr 04, 2025 16:00 pm IST
Read Time:4 mins
New Delhi:
Thousands of protesters gathered on Kolkata streets Friday afternoon – after weekly prayers by the Muslim community – to protest the Waqf Amendment Bill passed by Parliament this week.
Similar scenes were witnessed in Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu’s Chennai, where actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had earlier announced a statewide protest.
Visuals of the protests from Ahmedabad suggested a more charged atmosphere; a video shared by ANI showed police trying to forcibly remove elderly demonstrators squatting on the road.
From Tamil Nadu, TVK workers gathered across Chennai and major cities, like Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli, and raised slogans like ‘reject the Waqf Bill’ and ‘do not take away Muslims’ rights’.
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The Tamil actor-politician – seen increasingly as a dark horse before next year’s Assembly election – called the Waqf Bill “anti-democratic” and said its passage asks questions of India’s secular foundation.
Meanwhile, visuals from the Bengal capital showed a large crowd carrying posters proclaiming ‘we reject Waqf amendment’ and ‘Reject Waqf Bill’ gathering at public meeting sites. Many of the protests, news agency ANI said, were organised by the Joint Forum for Waqf Protection.
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The protests in Bengal will add to the fire brewing ahead of next year’s election, with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee having already declared she will not allow the state’s Muslims to lose their lands.
One concern of all these protesters is the new Waqf laws will be applied retroactively, thereby affecting existing properties. However, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told Parliament this week (and he was backed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah) it is prospective in nature.
The changes to the Waqf laws – which govern how Muslim charitable properties are governed – were cleared by Parliament after nearly 20 hours of MPs trading fiery speeches; those from opposition called it “anti-Muslim” and an “assault on the Constitution”, while those from the treasury benches accused the Congress of ‘appeasement politics’ and hailed “historic reform”.
The Waqf Amendment Bill – which now only needs President Droupadi Murmu’s assent (a formality) to become law – first sailed through the Lok Sabha by 288 votes to 232, and then cleared the Rajya Sabha by a score of 128-95. The margin of victory in the latter – where the ruling BJP doesn’t have a brute majority – has led to talk of opposition MPs cross-voting.
Among the big changes, the revised Waqf laws mandate the nomination of two non-Muslim members to state Waqf boards and the central Waqf council. It also requires individuals making donations certify themselves as ‘practicing Muslims’ for at least five years previously.
These and many other red flags, including fears the centre will take over management of the Waqf boards, were dismissed by Mr Rijiju as he tabled the Waqf Bill in Parliament.
He insisted non-Muslims could not now interfere in Waqf Board affairs, as its management, creation, and beneficiaries would remain exclusively from the Muslim community.
The debates on the Waqf bill saw fierce jabs and bitter rhetoric from both sides.
Congress MP Sonia Gandhi called it a “brazen assault” on the Constitution and accused the BJP of seeking to keep society in a state of “permanent polarisation”. At a meeting of her party’s MPs, the senior Congress leader also said the bill had been “bulldozed” through the Rajya Sabha.
A furious BJP demanded she apologise. In a press conference Friday afternoon, Mr Rijiju pointed out the Rajya Sabha had debated the Waqf Bill for a record 17 hours and two minutes.