Asifabad: A group of Muslims held a protest on Friday, asking the Central government to cancel the Waqf (Amendment) Act.
The protest began with a rally from Jama Masjid to Ambedkar Chowk in the town. Many participants wore black ribbons to show their disagreement with the new law. When they reached Ambedkar Chowk, they garlanded the statue of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and paid their respects.
During the protest, mosque leaders Maulana Ayaz Ashrafi and Hafiz Taher Hashmi spoke to the crowd. They said the recent changes to the Waqf Act are against the Constitution. According to them, the amendment would weaken the independence of the Central Waqf Council and the State Waqf Boards.
The leaders also said the new law interferes with the religious rights of Muslims and may be part of a plan to take away Waqf properties. They demanded that the Central government cancel the amendment immediately. If not, they warned that the protests would continue and grow stronger.
Several local leaders and community members joined the protest. Some of them included Fayaz, Abdullah, Aman, Ubed Bin Yahia (Tariq), Abdul Rahman, Rafiq Ahmed, Javid Ghulam, Abbu, MD Salim, Sajid, MD Ahmed, Taj, Imran, Emraan Hashmi, Asif, and Zameer.
