Notices To Demonstrators In UP, Detentions In Ahmedabad: How Different States Are Responding To Anti-Waqf Bill Protests

Different states are responding in different ways to the protests sparked by the passage of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill by both houses of the Parliament.

In Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, notices were issued against 24 protestors, based on the identification through CCTV footage and they are asked to furnish bonds of Rs 2 lakh each, Indian Express reported.

The protests were held across different mosques of the district during last Friday prayers of Ramzan on 28 March, where the protestors opposed the Bill by wearing black badges on their arms.

In Ahmedabad, the Gujarat state president of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Sabir Kabliwala, along with around 40 party members and supporters, was detained by the local police during a protest held in the Lal Darwaja area.

The demonstrators, after the Friday (4 April) namaz, alleged that the BJP-led government was targeting properties belonging to the Muslim community. They were detained for disturbing the traffic and were released in the evening, as per the police.

Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha has issued a warning against anti-Waqf Bill protests, stating that the demonstrators would be considered “traitors” and jailed. 

“Those who are threatening not to comply with the Waqf amendment will have to go to jail. This is not Pakistan, this is Hindustan. This is the Narendra Modi government," he asserted, adding that everybody should accept the law, since it has been passed in the Parliament.

In Bihar, BJP ally Janata Dal (United) has also witnessed many resignations after the passage of the Bill. JD(U) MLC Ghulam Gous and former MP Ghulam Rasool Baliyawi have opposed the Bill.