Fear, Anger, Disbelief

In Western Uttar Pradesh, rumours around waqf are making people think the new law is a poll gimmick, an attempt to flare communal tensions

- Swati Subhedar IS ASSISTANT EDITOR, OUTLOOK

ON April 4, police knocked on the door of Mujeeb Shibli, the caretaker of Ayesha Mosque at Madina Chowk, at 11:30 pm. They handed him a notice issued by the city magistrate, which read that in the future, he “can disturb the peace by inciting the public and sending wrong messages”. He was told to appear in court on April 16 and explain why a bond of Rs 2 lakh should not be provided by him in order to maintain peace for a year. The same morning, the Wagf (Amendment) Bill was cleared in the Rajya Sabha.

Shibli wasn’t alone to get the notice. Three hundred “antisocial elements”, identified through CCTV cameras—who were at Ayesha Mosque on March 28 for the Alvida Jummah namaz ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr on March 31—were slapped with similar notices. The Waqf Bill was scheduled to be discussed in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on April 3 and 4, respectively. Muslim organisations and opposition parties across the country had started raising their voices against the proposed amendments.

“We got a message from the AIMPLB (All India Muslim Personal Law Board) instructing us to wear black bands for the namaz to protest against the Waqf Bill. We were told to keep it quiet and peaceful. That’s what we did. There was no sloganeering, no noise, no demonstration, no uproar, and yet we got these notices. That’s unfair,” says Shibli. Not all 300 were wearing black bands, not all who got notices were present at the Ayesha Mosque that day—two were definitely in Delhi, informs Shibli.

When we meet him, it has been almost 10 days since he got the notice. Scores of journalists have walked into the mosque for quotes and bytes since then. The fruit vendors outside the mosque now guide them in and sometimes share their views as well. “Not on camera, and no photos,” says one and adds: “By issuing these notices, that too when people were protesting silently, it seems the police have begun a crackdown on those opposing the Waqf Bill.”