Throw CAA protesters out, book them for squatting, Rizvi tells Yogi govt

Waqf chief says Ghantaghar is Board property

In a dramatic turn of events, the Shia Waqf Board chief Waseem Rizvi has asked the Yogi Adityanath government to oust all anti-CAA protesters sitting at the-iconic Mughal structure Ghantaghar, claiming the property belongs to the Shia Central Waqf Board not a public or private property.

He has demanded criminal cases be registered against the protesting women as they have “encroached” upon the Waqf’s property. Rizvi is believed to be closed to the BJP and had supported CAA as soon as it was passed in Parliament.

He had issued a notice last month imposing a ban on all anti CAA protests on any Shia Waqf properties across the state.

Rizvi, in his January 22 letter to the district magistrate of Lucknow, stated, “Ghantaghar belongs to the Hussainabad Trust, which comes under the Shia Central Waqf board following the implementation of the Waqf Law 1995. Although a case with regards to the possession on the property is pending at the High Court, hence the trust continues to be its administrator. Since January 17, few women have encroached upon our Waqf property and holding protests illegally, leading to fear among general public. Hence, it is requested that it should be clear of all protesters at the earliest.”

In another letter to local police, Rizvi demands criminal cases be registered against the women protesters and also against the men who are supporting them.

Asked about his letters, Rizvi told FPJ, “We want space to be cleared of all nuisance. The Sunni women have occupied Ghantaghar and protesting against CAA unnecessarily.”

“How does he know for sure that all are Sunni women? Rizvi claims, “We know all of them are from Sunni community.”

Why did he wait for so long to secure Waqf’s property as the protest began last Friday, Rizvi said, “I hoped so far the government would curb the protest. But now it’s been almost a week. We decided to take the matter into our hands.” Rizvi says he would wait for a week, if the govt fails to finish protests, he would move the court.