Mamata criticises Centre's Waqflaw, vows to safeguard community rights

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee strongly criticised the amended Waqf Act passed by the BJP-led government on Wednesday, assuring minority communities in Malda that the state would not allow anyone to encroach upon their properties or religious spaces.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

Addressing a rally in Gazole, she said confusion had spread after the Centre recently began registering Waqf properties on a central portal, although the law itself had already triggered protests across the country, including in Murshidabad. The amended Act removes the exclusive authority of the Waqf Board in declaring a property as Waqf land and gives district magistrates or equivalent officers the final power, an aspect opposed by several political parties.

The state assembly had passed a resolution against the law, and the government has challenged it in the Supreme Court.

Banerjee told the gathering that the law was not made by the state and urged people not to fall for misinformation.