Assam: Protests Over Waqf Act Turn Tense in Barak Valley; Section 163 Imposed

A CORRESPONDENT

SILCHAR: For the last couple of days, Muslims joined in thousands in various parts of the Barak Valley in protest against the much debated Waqf Act. Situations turned tense in Patharkandi and Nilambazar today as the Sribhumi Administration issued prohibitory orders under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in these two Muslim-dominated Assembly segments after a massive rally in protest against the Waqf Act.

District Magistrate Pradeep Kumar Dwivedi enforced immediate restrictions to curb any untoward incidents. The prohibitory order includes a ban on unauthorized gatherings, demonstrations, and other disruptive activities until further notice.

On Saturday, thousands of Muslims brought out a protest rally in Sonai in Cachar district. Former AIUDF MLA and now a Congress leader Moulana Atatur Rahman Majharbhuiyan criticized the Waqf Act as a move to curb the fundamental rights of the religious minorities. On Sunday, leaders of various Islamic religious organizations assembled in a meeting in Badarpur where Hafiz Rashid Ahmed Chowdhury, a senior advocate who unsuccessfully contested the last Lok Sabha election as Congress candidate in Karimganj, explained how the controversial Act violated the rights of the Muslims ensured by the Constitution. Chowdhury said that mass protests should be organized to create pressure on the government to withdraw the Act.

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