Muslim Land Bill
KOLKATA: India has been forced to deploy federal troops to quell violent protests that erupted in the state of West Bengal over new legislation aimed at altering the management of Muslim-owned properties.
The protests, which turned deadly, took place in the Murshidabad district on Friday, with police using tear gas to disperse the thousands of demonstrators.
Tragically, three people, including a child, were killed during the unrest, according to local police. In addition, at least 15 police officers were injured in the clashes. As of Saturday, 118 people had been arrested in connection with the violence, with more arrests expected as the situation continues to unfold.
The protests were sparked by the Waqf Amendment Bill, which was passed earlier this month following a contentious debate. The bill proposes changes to how the Waqf boards, which manage properties gifted by Muslim charitable endowments, are administered.
India has around two dozen Waqf boards that collectively manage around 900,000 acres of land, making them some of the largest landholders in the country, alongside the railways and the defense forces.
Kiren Rijiju, India’s Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, who introduced the bill, stated that the proposed changes were designed to combat corruption and mismanagement within the Waqf boards.
Interior Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, added that the amendments would prevent individuals from exploiting Waqf properties for personal gain, arguing that the misuse of these assets deprives the development of the Muslim community.
While the government insists that the bill will bring transparency and accountability, opposition parties have fiercely criticized the legislation, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of pursuing divisive politics at the expense of India’s 200 million-strong Muslim minority.
The bill also includes provisions allowing non-Muslims to participate in the administration of the Waqf boards, although opposition leaders argue that their involvement would be limited to administrative matters.
Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has condemned the bill as a “polarising” measure targeting Muslims, warning that it sets a dangerous precedent for other communities in the future.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Modi hailed the passage of the bill as a “watershed moment” for the country, while also continuing to emphasize the BJP’s commitment to championing the interests of India’s Hindu majority.
The introduction of the Waqf Amendment Bill follows a broader pattern of actions taken by Modi’s government that critics claim undermine India’s secular fabric.
Modi’s tenure has been marked by a number of policies seen as favoring the Hindu majority, including the controversial revocation of the constitutional autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region.
Furthermore, his administration supported the construction of a Hindu temple on land that was previously home to a mosque, which had been demolished by Hindu extremists in 1992. These actions have contributed to growing concerns that the government is pushing policies that alienate and marginalize India’s Muslim population.
