300 get notices for black armband Waqf Bill protest in Muzaffarnagar
300 get notices for black armband Waqf Bill protest in Muzaffarnagar
M.U.H
07/04/202517
More than 300 people in UP’s Muzaffarnagar have been issued notices by the district administration for protesting against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill by wearing black armbands while offering prayers at a local mosque last Friday and on Eid three days later.
The notices were issued by City Magistrate Vikas Kashyap after receiving reports from the local police, officials said.
One of these notices, issued on April 3 and reviewed by The Indian Express, orders five men to appear before the City Magistrate’s court on April 16, explain their actions, and submit a bond of Rs 2 lakh and two sureties of the same amount, with the assurance that they will maintain peace in the jurisdiction for a year.
“In the current scenario, in order to maintain law and order in Muzaffarnagar, elements who could harm the social order were identified. More than 300 people were identified and notices have been issued to them,” Muzaffarnagar City SP Satyanarayan Prajapat told The Indian Express.
The notice reviewed by this newspaper names Maulana Shibli, Farukh, Naeem, Guddu and Afzal. “In the coming time, these five men can attempt to provoke common people and can incite others by giving the wrong message,” reads the notice, adding that it is based on a report from the Inspector in-charge of the Civil Lines police station in Muzaffarnagar.
City Magistrate Kashyap and SP Prajapat described this notice as “routine”. “If they are able to give a proper explanation, we will not take any action against them,” Kashyap said. “They are potential trouble makers, who have past history, particularly during the 2019 CAA-NRC protests,” Prajapat said.
The Indian Express spoke to 47-year-old Shibli, who is one of the men listed in the notice. “We wore armbands to the mosque while offering prayers. The decision was taken by the Muslim Sabha, and we did not do anything else, we just wore the armbands. At around 7 pm last Friday, two policemen knocked at my door and served me the notice. They said, ‘read it for yourself’,” said Shibli, a local supplier of ayurvedic medicine.
“We are now making arrangements to go to the court on April 16,” he said.
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, which was passed in both Houses of Parliament last week and received the President’s assent on Saturday, proposes sweeping changes in the regulation of Waqf properties and settlement of disputes.
While the Opposition has accused the BJP-led NDA government of interference in Muslim religious affairs in contravention of the Constitution, the Government has denied the charge and said the Bill had no such provision.
