Mumbai: AIMIM leader Waris Pathan was detained by the Mumbai Police on Friday, April 11, following a protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025, outside the Hindustani Mosque in Byculla.
According to a report, the protest erupted after the Friday prayers, during which members of the Muslim community raised slogans and displayed placards opposing the revised Bill. A video of the incident went viral on social media, wherein Pathan was seen wearing a black armband in a viral video, was among several party workers taken into police custody.
Have a look at the video here:
What Exactly Happened?
The protest was staged outside the Hindustani Mosque, where a sizable crowd gathered after the Friday namaz. Pathan, who had come to offer prayers as well, was seen interacting with the media personnel moments before being detained. A person from the crowd tied a black band around his arm in a symbolic gesture of protest. Soon after the prayers concluded, demonstrators began raising slogans against the Waqf Amendment Bill, voicing their dissent on what they claim are injustices under the current framework of the law.
Visuals from the scene showed protestors holding placards, while police officials attempted to manage the crowd. The atmosphere quickly became charged, prompting immediate police intervention.
Pathan's Stand On the Waqf Bill
Pathan condemned the revised Bill, describing it as unconstitutional and a violation of the rights to equality and religious administration guaranteed by the Indian Constitution—particularly Articles 14, 25, and 26. He claimed that the BJP does not have a majority in the Lok Sabha to enact the Bill without assistance from important leaders like Chandrababu Naidu, Nitish Kumar, Chirag Paswan, and Jayant Chaudhary, cautioning that if they support the Bill, the Muslim community in India will not pardon them.
Pathan challenged the reasoning behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push for the Bill, despite significant resistance from Muslims, labeling it a "black law" that ought to be retracted. He insisted that they should demonstrate constitutionally if the government ignored their issues. He mentioned the objections submitted by more than a crore individuals regarding the Bill, highlighting the absence of Muslim backing.
In the Lok Sabha session, the Bill, which includes suggestions from a Joint Parliamentary Committee, was brought up for debate. The government additionally introduced the Mussalman Wakf (Repeal) Bill, 2024. Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju contended that the bills are advantageous for the nation and charged opposition figures, including Congress's KC Venugopal, with trying to hinder the legislation by alleging insufficient time for modifications.
