Crackdown on protesters starts in UP’s Muzaffarnagar and Gujarat’s Ahmedabad
Team Clarion
PATNA — Bihar Deputy Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Kumar Sinha has sternly warned against anti-Waqf Bill protests, stating that demonstrators would be considered “traitors” and sent to prison.
“This is not Pakistan, this is Hindustan. Those who break the law will be arrested. This is the Narendra Modi government,” the BJP leader said on Friday (April 4), media reports said on Saturday.
“The Bill is already passed in both Houses of Parliament. Those who oppose the Bill are traitors. Such people should be immediately arrested,” he added.
Sinha’s comments came amid the resignations of members from National Democratic Alliance partner Janata Dal (United), which is the ruling party in Bihar. JD-U, the third-largest alliance partner of the NDA, supported the Bill in both houses of parliament.
The Waqf Bill has sparked considerable controversy, with internal dissent reported within the JD-U.
According to reports, several party members, dissatisfied with the leadership’s stance, have resigned. At least five senior JD-U functionaries have left the party due to its support for the controversial amendment.
Meanwhile, in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar, notices were issued against 24 Waqf Bill protestors, based on the identification through CCTV footage. They have been asked to furnish bonds of Rs 2 lakh each, a report in The Indian Express said.
In Ahmedabad, the Gujarat state president of the All India Majlis-e Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Sabir Kabliwala, and around 40 party members and supporters, were detained during a protest in the Lal Darwaja area.
The demonstration began just after the Friday noon’s congregational prayers. The participants alleged that the BJP-led government was targeting properties belonging to the Muslim community. They were detained for disturbing traffic and were released in the evening, as per the police.
