VHP cautions govt, SC on planned country-wide protests by AIMPLB on Waqf Act

New Delhi, Sep 27 (PTI) The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday raised questions over the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s plan to hold nationwide protests against the Waqf Amendment Act, and urged the central and state governments to keep a close watch to ensure there is no violence.

It also urged the Supreme Court to take cognisance of the matter, alleging that the Muslim body, which is one of the petitioners in the case, has planned agitations to build pressure on the judiciary, instead of waiting for its final verdict.

This comes after the AIMPLP recently posted on X a “road map” for the second phase of its ‘Save Waqf Campaign’, proposing a host of activities to protest the amended Waqf law, which included a call to Muslims to keep their businesses, offices and other establishments closed, except medical stores, from 8 am to 2 pm on October 3.

The Muslim body has also planned to organise “Waqf marches” in Delhi and state capitals on different dates, according to the four-page “road map” of the second phase of its campaign posted on X last week on September 19.

“The AIMPLB and other Muslim organisations have announced a comprehensive programme of agitation against the amendments to the Waqf law. The Muslims across the country have been asked to keep their shops and institutions closed for a day. This is being promoted heavily on social media as Bharat Bandh,” VHP president Alok Kumar told a press conference here, questioning the move.

“Similarly, on another day the Muslims have been called to demonstrate and court arrests in Delhi and in all the state capitals of India. It has also been said that the Muslims shall march towards the Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi and the Raj Bhavans in the states,” he said.

It’s “strange” that the Muslim organisations, which welcomed the Supreme Court’s interim order that came in the matter recently, have made such a comprehensive plan to protest against the Waqf Amendment Act, he added.

The VHP chief termed the AIMPLB’s plan a matter of concern and urged the central and state governments to keep a “close watch” to ensure that no incident of violence takes place during their protests and agitations.

“It is a matter of concern. There have been several incidents of violence in different parts of the country over the past few days since the Barawafat (Milad-un-Nabi). Plans for holding such agitational programmes may lead to disruption of law and order, invite conflicts and promote violence,” he said It will be a “big threat” to the law and order situation of Bharat and social harmony, he said.

“The responsibility of averting any such situation squarely and primarily lies with the people organising these agitations. It is their responsibility to ensure that the programmes are held peacefully and do not involve vandalism, rioting, or assault on government and other properties,” Kumar said.

“The central and state governments should also keep a close watch and remain adequately prepared to deal with all kinds of situations, particularly in view of the resentment and anger being spread in social media campaigns,” he added.

The VHP chief also called upon the society, “particularly” Hindus, to remain “vigilant and prepared”, and coordinate with the local administration and other law enforcement to avert any untoward incident in their respective vicinity.

In a post on X, VHP national spokesperson Vindo Bansal said the Supreme Court should also take cognisance of the matter as to why those parties to the matter subjudice before it are “trying to pressure the court from the streets, instead of waiting for its final decision”.

On September 15, the Supreme Court put on hold a few key provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, including a clause that only those practising Islam for the last five years could create Waqf, but refused to stay the entire law outlining the presumption of constitutionality in its favour.

“Presumption is always in favour of constitutionality of a statute and intervention (can be done) only in the rarest of rare cases,” a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih said in its 128-page interim order on the contentious matter.

The bench went on, “We do not find that any case is made to stay the provisions of the entire statute. The prayer for stay of the impugned Act is, therefore, rejected.” The top court also noted that the deletion of the "Waqf by user" provision in the newly-amended Waqf law was prima facie not arbitrary and the argument that Waqf lands would be grabbed by governments held “no water”. PTI PK RT