Mumbai: Muslims across India held widespread demonstrations to protest the Waqf (Amendment) Act, asserting that the Modi-led BJP government is undermining the community’s rights through legislative changes.

According to reports from Kashmir Media Service, protests erupted in several major cities, including Mumbai, Kolkata, Patna, Imphal, Jaipur, Lucknow, Hyderabad, and Bhopal. In Kolkata, hundreds of students from Aligarh University organized a march from their campus to Park Circus, bearing banners and placards that denounced the amendments. One of the placards notably stated, “Constitutional Rights cannot be denied.”

In Manipur, thousands of Muslims took to the streets in various parts of Imphal, demanding the immediate repeal of the act and condemning the government’s actions. Similar large-scale protests were observed in Hyderabad, particularly at the historic Mecca Masjid in Saeedabad and at several other mosques.

Protestors across cities wore black armbands and carried placards urging the withdrawal of the Waqf act. They also directed criticism towards Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose parties backed the bill in the Indian parliament.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, passed by the Indian Parliament last week, became law after receiving Presidential Assent from Droupadi Murmu. Opposition parties and Muslim organizations have since challenged the act in the Supreme Court.