Waqf Amendment Bill sparks mass protests in Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad

Thousands staged protests in Kolkata, Chennai, and Ahmedabad against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with Mamata Banerjee and Vijay opposing the law and calling it anti-democratic

Thousands took to the streets of Kolkata, Chennai, and Ahmedabad on Friday, following weekly prayers by the Muslim community, to protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025 recently passed by Parliament.  

 

  In Kolkata, large crowds gathered at public meeting sites, waving the national flag and holding posters that read, ‘We reject Waqf Amendment’ and ‘Reject Waqf Bill’. According to news agency ANI, many of these protests were coordinated by the Joint Forum for Waqf Protection.   

 

#WATCH | West Bengal: Members of the Muslim community take to the streets in Kolkata to protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill. pic.twitter.com/pKZrIVAYlz

— ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2025

Waqf Bill: Ahmedabad protests

Ahmedabad saw a more intense protest, as visuals shared by ANI depicted police attempting to forcibly remove elderly protestors sitting on the road.   

 

#WATCH | Ahmedabad: Various Muslim organisations hold protests against the Waqf Amendment Bill. pic.twitter.com/viavsuqf3D

— ANI (@ANI) April 4, 2025

  In Chennai, actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had called for a statewide protest, leading to gatherings in key cities such as Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli. Protestors chanted slogans like ‘Reject the Waqf Bill’ and ‘Do not take away Muslims’ rights’. Vijay criticised the Bill, calling it “anti-democratic” and questioning its impact on India’s secular principles.  

 

In West Bengal, the protests add to the political tension as the state gears up for elections next year. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has already declared that she will not allow the state’s Muslim population to lose their lands. Accusing the BJP of attempting to create divisions, she, along with the Congress, asserted that the Bill would be repealed if a non-BJP government comes to power at the Centre.  

SC judgment on Bengal jobs

The political landscape in West Bengal is further complicated by a major judicial setback for the state government. The Supreme Court, on Thursday, upheld a Calcutta High Court ruling that led to the termination of over 25,000 teaching and non-teaching staff appointments made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in 2016, in connection with the school ‘jobs-for-cash’ scam. The court described the selection process as “vitiated and tainted”.

 

Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed her disagreement with the top court verdict, which invalidated the appointments of teachers in the state. “As a citizen, I am saying I can’t support this judgment. I hope it is not distorted,” she said.   

Banerjee questioned the decision to dismiss all candidates, arguing that not everyone involved was guilty of misconduct. “The ones whom you call tainted, we don’t have proof regarding them. Does the BJP government want to collapse the education system of Bengal? What happened in Vyapam? Fifty plus people were killed,” she said, drawing parallels to the recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh.

Concerns among protestors

A major concern among protesters is the possibility of the new Waqf laws being applied retroactively, potentially impacting existing properties. However, Union Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, backed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, clarified in Parliament that the bill is prospective in nature.   

The amendments to Waqf laws, which regulate Muslim charitable properties, were approved after nearly 20 hours of heated debates in Parliament. While the Opposition denounced it as ‘anti-Muslim’, the ruling party hailed it as a ‘historic reform’.  

The Bill, which now requires President Droupadi Murmu’s approval to become law, passed the Lok Sabha with 288 votes in favour and 232 against, followed by a 128-95 vote in the Rajya Sabha.  

 

[With agency inputs]