New Delhi: Officials in Uttar Pradesh are cracking down on all forms of opposition to the amendments to the Waqf Act passed by parliament by issuing notices to political and religious leaders and asking them to furnish bonds ranging from Rs 1 lakh to 10 lakh.Such notices have so far been issued or similar preventive action has been taken in Muzaffarnagar, Lucknow and Sitapur.Preventive measure notices to 300 peopleIn Muzaffarnagar, a senior police officer said notices under preventive measures had been issued to 300 persons. Among them was Mujeeb Shibli, the caretaker of the Ayesha mosque in Muzaffarnagar. Shibli and three others were served notices for allegedly wearing black armbands during the Alvida Jummah and Eid-ul-Fitr namaz in protest of the amended Waqf law against which numerous Muslim organisations and opposition parties across the country have raised their voice.Shibli was issued a notice by the city magistrate Muzaffarnagar asking him to appear before its court on April 16 and explain why a bond of Rs 2 lakh and two sureties each of the same amount not be provided by him in order to maintain public peace for a year. The notice served to him was on the basis of a police report which said that Shibli and others had worn black armbands after the recent prayers. The police accused them of “instigating and sending a wrong message to the public” and said that they could breach peace.Satyanarayan Prajapat, Superintendent of Police (City), Muzaffarnagar, said to maintain public peace they had identified 300 “anti-social elements” who could disturb peace and served term notices under sections 126 and 130 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. These provisions empower an executive magistrate to serve notice to people and explain why they should not be ordered to execute a bond or bail bond for keeping peace for a period not exceeding one year, if information is received that the person is likely to commit a breach of the peace or disturb public tranquillity, directly or indirectly.Mujeeb Shibli, who is also the city secretary of the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind, found it odd that Muslims were served notices with hefty bond amounts for a silent protest. “We did a silent protest with black ribbons last Friday. This was on the appeal of the Muslim Personal Law Board. There was no noise, no demonstration, sloganeering or any form of uproar,” Shibli told The Wire.“This is a democracy. Everyone has the right to protest silently. It’s not like we came out to the streets,” he said.Also read: Why the Waqf Bill Passage Is Not a ‘Muslim’ Issue, It Affects all of IndiaRs 1-lakh bondIn Lucknow, notices were also served on persons associated with the Samajwadi Party. A notice issued by the Bakshi Ka Talab magistrate asked four Samajwadi Party members–Mahendra Yadav, Wahiuddin, Javed and Ankit Yadav – to appear before it and show cause why to ensure public peace for a period of one year they not submit personal bonds of Rs 1 lakh each along with two sureties of the same amount.The notice accused the four persons of opposing the Waqt (Amendment) Act, 2025, gathering crowds and spreading “rumours” in the society in order to disrupt public peace. There is tension and disaffection, said the notice, alleging that there was a high possibility that those named could disturb public peace or commit a criminal act.Mahendra Yadav, the national vice-president of the Samajwadi Chhatra Sabha or student wing and a research scholar at the Lucknow University, said the notices were oppressive and a means to silence dissent. “It is a violation of our constitutional rights,” he said.“We have been raising our voices on various issues from time to time. They want to find a way to keep us quiet. What they are calling a nuisance, we believe is our right to democratically raise our voice,” Yadav told The Wire.The 32-year-old leader said that the legal threat would not deter him from raising his voice against the Waqf Act. “Your legal notice will not be able to break our spirit, I will continue to struggle till the last drop of my blood for the rights and respect of the backward, Dalits and minorities,” he said in a statement.‘Rs 10 lakh for breaching peace’Lucknow police also issued a notice to Sumaiya Rana, Samajwadi Party leader and daughter of the famous poet, the late Munawwar Rana. She was asked to furnish a bond of a sum of Rs 10 lakh along with two sureties of the same amount. The notice issued to her said that she was likely to disturb public peace or commit a culpable act leading to breach of peace. “The situation is extremely tense. And there is full possibility of her breaching peace,” said the notice.Rana refused to accept the notice but was later served it through WhatsApp. “I will appeal this in court. But this is the dictatorship of the Uttar Pradesh government and police. If they feel they can frighten me and suppress my voice, they are under the wrong impression. I will fight this through constitutional means. And I will raise my voice against every ill step taken by them,” said Rana in a video statement.Notice for black armbandsNaeem Tyagi, the vice-president of a madrasa in Muzaffarnagar, who was also served a notice for wearing black armbands, said he was not aware of any such protest in his premises. Talking to local reporters, Tyagi said around 4,000-5,000 persons offer namaz at the mosque in his madrasa and it was not possible for him to track everyone. “How can I keep an eye on everyone? Maybe two or four people wore armbands. But I have no idea about it,” he said.He said it was the responsibility of the Waqf board to protest against the new law and that his madrasa was only focused on providing education to children. When The Wire called Tyagi to know more about the notice, he said he was not interested in giving further comments. “I have nothing more to say,” he said.Preventive action was taken against 60 persons in Sitapur for wearing black armbands during the namaz on Eid-ul-fitr in the Tambaur area, reported Dainik Bhaskar.Meanwhile, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board has said that it will lead a nationwide movement against the Waqf amendments in coordination with all religious, community-based and social organisations and that the campaign would continue until the amendments are fully repealed. Maulana Mohammed Fazlurrahim Mujaddidi, general secretary of the AIMPLB, said that the along with taking the legal route to challenge “these discriminatory and unjust amendments” in the Supreme Court, the board would also employ all democratic and peaceful means of protest, including demonstrations, along with symbolic protests such as wearing black armbands, roundtable meetings with fellow citizens and press conferences.“In every state capital, Muslim leadership will offer symbolic arrests and at the district level, protests will be organised. At the conclusion of these protests, memorandums will be submitted to the President of India and the Home Minister through the respective district magistrates and collectors. As part of the first phase of the movement, an entire week — from one Friday to the next — will be observed under the theme ‘Save Waqf, Save the Constitution’,” he said.
