This picture, taken in December 2015, shows Hindu extremists wielding swords taking part in a procession marking the anniversary of the 1992 demolition of the Babri Masjid Mosque in Ayodhya, India. (Photo by AFP)
India's President Droupadi Murmu has given his assent to the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, a controversial legislation that gives the Narendra Modi government a pretext to seize mosques.
In a notification on Saturday, the Law Ministry said President Murmu gave assent to the Bill, which was cleared by both houses of parliament, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, last week.The controversial legislation has triggered a slew of objections, with its constitutionality being challenged in the Supreme Court by the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party head, Asaduddin Owaisi and Congress Parliamentarian Mohammad Javed.
Separately, Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha, slammed the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government for fostering division by targeting Muslims through the controversial bill.
Before its approval, Kharge counted numerous "mistakes" in the bill, appealing for its withdrawal. He described the legislation as “unconstitutional” and detrimental to India's Muslim minority.
Meanwhile, the legislation has stoked up fear among Muslims over extremist Hindu groups likely using the bill to attempt to claim certain historical mosques under the pretext that they were constructed over Hindu temples.
In January 2024, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple in the northern town of Ayodhya on the site of the 16th-century Babri Masjid.
In 1992, Hindu extremists had torn down the 400-year-old mosque. BJP leaders were among those involved in the demolition incident. Following the demolition of the historical mosque, deadly communal riots broke out between Hindus and Muslims. The violence led to the deaths of 3,000 people
