New Delhi [India], March 28 (ANI): CPI Member of Parliament P Sandosh Kumar weighed in on the ongoing debate surrounding the Waqf Amendment Bill on Friday, following the All India Muslim Personal Law Board's (AIMPLB) appeal to Muslims to wear black armbands as a form of protest and clarified that the issue is not about religion but about the broader question of India's secularism.

'We oppose this bill not because it is a religious issue but because it is an issue of India's secularism,' Kumar told ANI, emphasising that the bill's implications go beyond religious boundaries.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board's (AIMPLB) call to Muslims to wear black armbands as a mark of protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill while offering namaz on the occasion of Alvida Jumma drew a significant response.

Several people were seen wearing the armbands while offering the Friday prayers in Lucknow, Hyderabad and other cities.

In Hyderabad, AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi, who is also part of the JPC on the Waqf bill, joined in the symbolic protest wearing a black armband as he offered prayers on Friday.

Visuals from Hyderabad showed hundreds of people wearing black armbands along with Owaisi while offering prayers.

Ahead of the prayers, police personnel were also deployed in parts of the city to maintain peace in the region.

Meanwhile, in Lucknow, joining the protest, AIMPLB member Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli, along with representatives of other Muslim organisations, wore the black armband.

'On the proposed Waqf amendment bill, AIMPLB and other muslim organisations had put forward their opinion to the (Joint Parliamentary) committee that the amendment is not agreed upon by us. Waqf is a muslim matter, and there should not be any changes to it so that waqf properties cannot be in the danger zone,' AIMPLB member Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli told ANI in Lucknow.

He claimed that they had objected to the proposed changed to the Waqf Board to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, but their objections were not taken into consideration.

'We had pointed out that 90 percent of properties under Waqf are of Masjid, Dargahs, and cemeteries, but our points were not taken into consideration. On this issue, AIMPLB has started nationwide protests, appealing to all to wear a black band on the day of Jamat ul Vida, wear a black band in protest and read the namaz,' Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahli added.

Highlighting the other protests across the country, the Law board member reiterated that there is no call for a street protest, just an appeal to personally wear black bands while offering namaz and peacefully go to their homes after.

'There are already big protests ongoing in Delhi, Patna, and on this day there is no appeal for a street protest, just a peaceful protest of wearing the band and reading the namaz, and peacefully go back to their home,' he said.

Earlier on March 27, AIMPLB had appealed to Muslims to wear black armbands in protest on Alvida Juma, the last Friday of Ramzan.

Sharing a letter on X, AIMPLB stated, 'The strong protests by Muslims at Jantar Mantar in Delhi and Dharna Sthal in Patna have at least caused a stir among BJP's allied parties. Now, a massive protest is also scheduled to take place in Vijayawada on March 29, 2025. The AIMPLB expressed its concerns over the bill, describing it as a 'sinister conspiracy' that aims to deprive Muslims of their religious and charitable institutions.'

The Waqf Act of 1995, enacted to regulate Waqf properties, has long been criticised for issues such as mismanagement, corruption, and encroachments.

The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, aims to address key challenges by introducing reforms such as digitisation, enhanced audits, improved transparency, and legal mechanisms to reclaim illegally occupied properties. (ANI)