Wed Apr 09 19:19:32 UTC 2025: ## UP Police Issue Notices to Hundreds for Peaceful Protest Against Waqf Bill

**Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, April 10, 2025** – At least 300 residents of Sarwat village in Muzaffarnagar have been issued notices by Uttar Pradesh police, demanding a ₹2 lakh bond each for participating in a peaceful protest against the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The protest, which involved wearing black armbands during Friday prayers on April 4th, followed the Lok Sabha’s passage of the Bill on Thursday and its subsequent clearance by Parliament.

While an eerie calm has settled over the village, residents express concern over the ongoing police surveillance. Many, who run small businesses in the predominantly Muslim locality, say the protest was intended as a symbolic display of dissent, with participants instructed to refrain from shouting slogans or raising their voices.

Maulana Shibli, who manages a local mosque and sells medicines, described the protest as peaceful and symbolic. However, police, using CCTV footage, identified participants and issued notices based on a police report alleging disruption of peace. One notice, shown to reporters, stated that those named could “disturb the peace by inciting the public and sending wrong messages.”

Several residents, including a scrap dealer named Fakruddin, shared their concerns about the notices. Fakruddin stated he merely wore a black shirt to prayers and questioned the suppression of dissent within the Muslim community, citing previous instances of arrests and bulldozer demolitions following protests. He lamented the lack of space for peaceful expression of dissent. The authorities maintain that the action was taken to maintain peace and order.

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