The Supreme Court will hear 73 petitions today challenging the Waqf Amendment Act, as seven states defend its constitutionality and petitioners raise concerns over religious autonomy
The Parliament passed the Waqf Amendment Bill in the budget session after which it was given assent by President Droupadi Murmu
Taking cognisance of the violence in West Bengal's Murshidabad during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, the NHRC on Tuesday said it will send a team from its investigation division to conduct an on-spot inquiry, given the "seriousness" of the matter. The National Human Rights Commission said the action comes after submission of a complaint to it. The inquiry report should be submitted within a period of three weeks, it said. The complaint pertains to various "social media news articles" highlighting the alleged murder of two named persons -- father and son, amid the ongoing protest against the legislation. "Given the seriousness of the matter, the Director General (Investigation), NHRC, is directed to assign a team of officers/officials from the Investigation Division of the Commission to conduct an on-spot inquiry at Murshidabad, West Bengal," according to the proceedings. The inquiry report should be submitted to the Commission within a period of three weeks, it said. Thr
Defending the Waqf Act, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju said the changes in the law are not against any community
Security personnel, including BSF and CRPF, have been deployed in the area, and authorities have stated that the situation is now under control
Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the Congress of undermining BR Ambedkar's legacy, alleging the party disrespected him during his lifetime
The situation in violence-hit areas of Murshidabad district, mainly Suti, Samserganj, Dhulian and Jangipur was peaceful and under control on Monday, a senior police officer said. Prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) remain in force in the violence-hit pockets where the roads wore a deserted look and shops downed their shutters. The internet remains suspended in the affected areas while security forces are conducting checks on vehicles along the main roads. Three people have died and several others injured in the violence which raged in Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj and Jangipur areas since Friday afternoon but there was no report of any fresh incident from anywhere in the district. A total of 180 people have been arrested in connection with the violence following protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act till Saturday afternoon, he said. "The situation in and around these disturbed areas is peaceful and under control. There is no repor
All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) will conduct a protest meeting against the Waqf (Amendment) Act here on April 19, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said on Sunday. The meeting will be held at Darussalam (AIMIM's headquarters) under the leadership of AIMPLB president Khalid Saifullah Rahmani from 7 PM to 10 PM, Owaisi told reporters here. Members of the Muslim Personal Law Board from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh along with other Muslim organisations from both the states will take part in this protest meeting, the Hyderabad MP said, adding they will deliver speeches and tell the public about how the Waqf (Amendment) Act is not in favour of the Waqf. The AIMIM chief said they are also trying to talk to the members of the Parliament Waqf Committee and if their schedule permits, they can also attend this public meeting. President Droupadi Murmu on April 5 gave her assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed by Parliament in the first week of April.
Violence over Waqf Act rocks Murshidabad as Calcutta High Court directs immediate deployment of central forces in the area
Twelve more people were arrested in connection with the violent protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act in West Bengal's Murshidabad district, where three people have died, police said on Sunday. No new incident of violence was reported from anywhere in the Muslim-majority district, with security forces keeping a close vigil, they said. "The situation in Suti, Dhulian, Samserganj and Jangipur areas of the district is peaceful. Raids continued overnight, and 12 more people were arrested. With this, 150 people have been arrested so far," a senior police officer said. Prohibitory orders under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) have been imposed in the violence-hit areas, and the internet has been suspended, he said. The security forces are checking vehicles on the main roads, and patrolling the sensitive pockets, he added. "An investigation is underway into the incidents of violence. More arrests are likely," the officer said. Several vehicles, including pol
Two persons were killed in West Bengal's Murshidabad district following violent clashes allegedly linked to ongoing protests against the Waqf (Amendment) Act, an IPS officer said on Saturday. The victims, a father and son, were found with multiple stab wounds inside their home in Jafrabad, located in the violence-hit Samserganj area, he added. According to him, both victims were found lying inside their home and were declared brought dead at a nearby hospital. Their family alleged that miscreants looted their house and stabbed the two before leaving. In a separate incident, another person sustained a bullet wound at Dhulian in Samserganj block earlier in the day, the officer said. Large-scale violence was reported on Friday from Suti and Samserganj areas of the district during protests over the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appealed for calm during her visit to Murshidabad
The Waqf (Amendment) Act will not be implemented in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Saturday amid violent protests in the state. Banerjee said the law was made by the Centre and answers should be sought from it. "My sincere appeal to people of all religions, please remain calm, remain restrained. Do not engage in any irreligious behaviour in the name of religion. Every human life is precious; do not incite riots for the sake of politics. Those who are inciting riots are harming society," she said in a post on X. Several vehicles, including police vans, were set on fire, stones were hurled at security forces, and roads were blocked as violence rocked Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts during protests over the new legislation on Friday. "Remember, we did not make the law over which many are agitated. The law was made by the central government. So the answer you want should be sought from the central government," the CM said. "We have made
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief Mehbooba Mufti on Saturday expressed gratitude to the chief ministers of West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka for their "courageous and principled stand" against the Waqf Amendment Act. Mufti, a former chief minister of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, wrote identical letters to the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu's M K Stalin and Karnataka's Siddaramaiah. In a post on microblogging site X, Mufti said, "I have written to @MamataOfficial ji, @mkstalin ji & @siddaramaiah ji expressing heartfelt gratitude for their courageous & principled stand against the Waqf Amendment Bill. In today's India where dissent of any kind is increasingly criminalised their unequivocal voices come as a breath of fresh air." "As residents of Jammu and Kashmir -- the only Muslim-majority region in the country -- we find solace and inspiration in your unwavering stance in these dark and challenging times," Mufti wrote. She also posted
Over 110 people were arrested in connection with the violence that broke out in the Muslim-dominated Murshidabad district of West Bengal during a protest over the Waqf (Amendment) Act, police said on Saturday. Several vehicles, including police vans, were set on fire, stones were hurled at security forces, and roads were blocked as violence rocked Malda, Murshidabad, South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts over the new legislation on Friday. Raids were underway in all these districts, with over 110 arrested in Murshidabad, police said. "About 70 people were arrested from Suti, and 41 people from Samserganj in connection with the violence," a police officer said. The situation in these violence-hit places remained tense on Saturday morning, but no untoward incident was reported, officials said. In the worst-hit Murshidabad district, prohibitory orders have been imposed and internet services suspended in places that saw violence, they said. "Patrolling in Suti and Samserganj areas
Adhikari noted that the state administration has sought BSF deployment in Murshidabad to control the situation
Protests against the Waqf Act rocked parts of West Bengal on Friday, as agitators set ablaze vehicles, disrupted vehicular and rail movement, with a few policemen suffering injuries while trying to control the mob, officials said. The demonstrations took a violent turn in Suti in Murshidabad district when the protesters assembled despite prohibitory orders and blocked roads, hurled stones at security personnel, torched police vans and public buses during processions, they said. According to a senior police officer, trouble started when Muslims gathered after Friday prayers and staged protests against the Waqf Act, blocking a stretch of National Highway-12 from Dakbanglo More in Shamsherganj to Sutir Sajur More. "The protests turned violent after the agitators hurled stones at a police van, resulting in a clash in which around 10 policemen were injured," he said. Police had to lathi-charge to bring the unruly mob under control, and later use tear gas shells when some protesters thre
The BJP will launch a fortnight-long public awareness campaign, aimed especially at Muslims, from April 20 to publicise the benefits of the Waqf (Amendment) Act and counter the opposition's criticism of it, with party president JP Nadda and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju addressing its delegates on Thursday. BJP office-bearers from across the country attended a workshop here as Nadda accused the opposition parties of misleading Muslims over the provisions of the amended law as part of its vote-bank politics. He asserted that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is determined to make 'pasmanda (backward)' Muslims and women stakeholders in management and welfare programmes of the Waqf with transparent and efficient management of its properties, party sources said. Members of Waqf boards from BJP-ruled states and the party's organisation, including its minority wing, attended the day-long workshop. Nadda said the new law, which came into effect on April 8, would hel
Around 10 petitions have been filed against the Act, including by All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi
The official further said that the situation remains under control even though stone pelting occurred