Waqf Board was made to bite the dust by the protesting students of 115-year-old Udai Pratap College as the former had to withdraw its claim over the complete college property on which it had tried to lay its hand. Widespread protest forced the Waqf Board to backtrack on its claim. Moreover, the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board has clarified that no such claims made by the board are valid.
In an official letter, the Sunni Central Waqf Board dismissed these claims, stating that a similar assertion made in 2021 by one Waseem Ahmed had already been rejected. The board emphasised that no legal proceedings or claims regarding the college property are currently in progress. Referring to a 2018 notice issued under Section 36(7) of the Waqf Act by a former assistant secretary, the Waqf Board clarified that this notice was annulled by its chairperson on January 18, 2021. The letter also affirmed that no further action or claims have been made since the cancellation of the 2018 notice.
Students Recite Hanuman Chalisa
Soon after the Waqf Board’s claim on the college property, a large number of Muslims came within the premises and offered ‘namaz’ in large numbers. This infuriated the students who did not succumb to any kind of pressure and they also assembled in large numbers and recited ‘Hanuman Chalisa.’ The students fearlessly chanted slogans like “Jai Shri Ram,” and made their stance clear to those who were trying to illegtimately stake the claim on the land of the educational institution.
College Principal’s Clears Air Over Presence Of Shrine
In wake of the prevailing situation within the Udai Pratap College, the principal of the institute also stated that the shrine with the institute was illegally constructed and called it an encroachment. He added that the matter would be put forth before the college’s management committee. Meanwhile, he urged the students to maintain peace and assured them that adequate steps would be taken to resolve the issue in accordance with the law. The college administration also stated that there is no documentary proof about the presence of the mosque within the college premises
One of the students spoke on the condition of anonymity and added that the Waqf Board’s calim on Udai Pratap College was totally baseless since the college was founded in 1909 and the Waqf Board came into existence in 1954.
In order to ensure that the situation in and around the college does not turn out of control, the district administration swung into action. Varanasi’s Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal inspected the college campus and implemented strict security measures by esnuring that the entry and exit points of the campus were guarded by police forces. Only students, faculty, and staff are being allowed on campus to ensure that academic activities remain unaffected.
Of late the Waqf Board has been laying claims to various properties especially religious places and other such monuments or temples which are of significance importance to the Hindus without having proper legal documents for the same. Moreover, the Indian government had also said that they would introduce the Waqf amendiment Bill during the wineter session of the parliament. However, the bill could not be introduced as the Joint Parliamentary Committe failed to give its report.
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