Assam: Protesters throw stones, police lathi-charge during demonstrations against Waqf Act
A protest in Assam’s Cachar district against the recent amendments to the Waqf Act turned violent on Sunday, reported PTI. While the protesters threw stones, the police lathi-charged them.
The Cachar district administration issued orders prohibiting gatherings in public spaces after the clash to prevent “potential disruption of public tranquility”, according to The Indian Express.
An unidentified police officer told PTI that around 300 persons started the protest in the Berenga area of Silchar town without permission.
“Police forces were deployed and began dispersing them,” Cachar Superintendent of Police Numal Mahatta said. “While dispersing them, some agitated men tried to vitiate the environment. So, we dispersed them using lathi charge.”
Mahatta said that a first information report had been registered. The situation is under control, he added.
This came a day after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that his state had remained peaceful “despite having a nearly 40% Muslim population”.
A waqf is a property dedicated to a religious, educational or charitable cause under Islamic law. Each state has a waqf board led by a legal entity that is vested with the power to acquire, hold and transfer property.
The recent changes to the law curb the authority of waqf boards and allow greater government control over them.
The 2024 Waqf Amendment Bill brought changes to 44 sections of the 1995 Waqf Act,...
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