Hyderabad: Hyderabad witnessed silent protests during Friday prayers as Muslims wore black armbands responding to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board’s (AIMPLB) call against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill.
The symbolic protest on Alvida Jumma, the last Friday of Ramadan, saw participation across multiple cities.
Asaduddin Owaisi joins protest
AIMIM chief and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi who serves on the Joint Parliamentary Committee examining the Waqf bill joined the protest in Hyderabad by wearing a black armband during Friday prayers.
The AIMPLB had issued a nationwide appeal urging Muslims to wear black armbands as a peaceful protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill 2024. In a strongly-worded statement, the Board called the proposed legislation “a sinister conspiracy” that threatens Muslim religious institutions including mosques, madrasas, dargahs and graveyards.
“The Waqf Amendment Bill 2025 is a sinister conspiracy aimed at depriving Muslims of their Mosques, Eidgahs, Madrasas, Dargahs, Khanqahs, Graveyards, and charitable institutions. If this bill is passed, hundreds of Mosques, Eidgahs, Madrasas, Graveyards, and numerous charitable institutions will be taken away from us,” the letter read.
“Therefore, it is the responsibility of every Muslim in the country to strongly oppose this bill. The All India Muslim Personal Law Board appeals to all Muslims to wear a black armband while coming to the mosque on Jumu’atul Wida as a silent and peaceful expression of grief and protest,” the letter read.
General Secretary Maulana Mohammed Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi reinforced this message through a video posted on the Board’s official social media.
Police intervened
Near Hyderabad’s Makkah Masjid, police intervened when protesters displayed banners against the bill. Authorities had deployed approximately 1,300 police personnel for security during Jummat-ul-Vida prayers, supported by specialized units including the City Armed Reserve, Rapid Action Force and Commissioner’s Task Force.
Gold rates in Hyderabad break all-time high again amid market uncertainty
The black armband protest represented a silent but visible expression of opposition to the controversial bill.
