Tensions Erupt At Varanasi's Udai Pratap College After Students Protest Against 'Namaz' At Mosque Inside The Campus

A tense atmosphere engulfed Varanasi's iconic Uday Pratap College as a large number of students staged a demonstration on Friday (6 December) demanding the removal of a mosque from the campus.

A crowd of students assembled at the college entrance on Friday, shouting “Jai Shri Ram” and waving saffron flags. Their attempt to enter the campus was thwarted by police intervention.

Student leader Vivekanand Singh stated that if the mosque's land is not under the Waqf board’s ownership, the structure should be removed.

He added that if namaz continues to be offered at the mosque, students would respond by reciting the Hanuman Chalisa there.

Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Canotnment, Vidush Saxena, Cantonment, confirmed that a group of students came forward to voice their concerns.

“Although the situation became somewhat aggressive, police were able to calm things down," the ACP added, reported news agency PTI.

The ACP said some miscreants have been identified and that necessary action would be taken against them.

Amid the escalating tensions, police on Thursday restricted outsiders' entry to the campus, allowing only students with valid identity cards.

This action followed unrest on Tuesday, when students recited the Hanuman Chalisa during namaz near the mosque.

According to the local police, even men were briefly detained after the row on Tuesday.

In a related development, college students set up a “student court” and sent an 11-point letter to the Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board, demanding clarification on the mosque’s ownership status within 15 days.

Mohammad Yaseen, joint secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, had earlier stated that he had written to the Uttar Pradesh Central Waqf Board to check the status of the mosque on Tuesday itself.

“The Uttar Pradesh Central Waqf Board has clarified that its 2018 notice claiming the mosque as Waqf property was cancelled on January 18, 2021. There is no reason for the current controversy,” Yaseen had claimed.

The controversy erupted after resurfacing of a six-year old letter by UP Sunni Central Waqf Board staking claim on a land on which the 115-year-old college is situated.

The claim, originally made in 2018, resurfaced amid the ongoing debate on the Central government's proposed Waqf Amendment Bill.

The Waqf Board has reportedly asserted that a mosque on the Udai Pratap College campus and nearby land, spanning over 100 acres, are Waqf properties.

According to the notice issued to college by the board in 2018, Choti Masjid and the associated property within the college were endowed to Waqf by the Nawab of Tonk, and therefore should come under the board’s control.

However, the college administration has strongly refuted this, saying that the land belongs to a charitable endowment and cannot be transferred or sold.

Responding to the notice at the time, the college authorities stated that Udai Pratap College was established in 1909 under the Charitable Endowment Act, and rejected the Waqf Board's claims.

The college currently has over 17,000 students.

Uday Pratap college principal D K Singh explained that the notice was sent by Varanasi resident Wasim Ahmed Khan, to which the then-college secretary responded.

"The notice came from Varanasi resident Wasim Ahmed Khan. At that time, the then-secretary of the college had responded to the notice. In response to the notice, it was said that the mosque was built illegally, while the property of the college belongs to the trust, it can neither be bought nor sold," he added.

According to the college management, no further move was taken by the board for years after their reply.

However, in 2022, there was an attempt by the Waqf Board to carry out construction at the mosque, which was halted by the police following a complaint from the college, Singh said.

Principal D K Singh further claimed that electricity to the shrine was disconnected because the power being used there was "illegally stolen" from the college.

The original notice was issued by Varanasi resident Wasim Ahmed Khan, who passed away in 2022.

Although no subsequent actions were taken by the Waqf Board, the issue has resurfaced amid discussions surrounding the upcoming Waqf Amendment Bill in the Parliament.

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