Tensions flared at Udai Pratap College in Varanasi as a large group of students staged a protest demanding the removal of a mosque located on the college campus. Approximately 500 students, carrying saffron flags and chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, gathered at the college gate to express their grievances. However, a heavy police presence prevented the protesters from entering the college, according to officials.
The protest followed a series of incidents that have heightened tensions at the college in recent days. On Tuesday, a group of students recited the Hanuman Chalisa near the mosque while ‘namaaz’ was being offered, leading to a brief detention of seven individuals by the police. This sparked further unrest among students, culminating in Friday’s protest.
Vivekanand Singh, a former student union leader, led the demonstration, arguing that since the land for the mosque’s tomb does not belong to the Waqf Board, it should be removed from the college campus. “If ‘namaaz’ can be offered at the tomb, students should also be allowed to recite Hanuman Chalisa there,” Singh said, expressing frustration that police had prevented the protestors from entering the college.
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Assistant Commissioner of Police (Cantt), Vidush Saxena, addressed the situation, stating that while the students’ views were acknowledged, some of them became aggressive. “A group of students came to express their views, with some of them turning a little aggressive. But the police calmed them down,” Saxena said.
In response to the growing unrest, the police on Thursday restricted entry to the campus, allowing only students with valid identity cards to enter. This measure aimed to control the situation amid heightened tensions.
Adding to the controversy, a group of students formed a ‘student court’ and sent an 11-point letter to the Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board, requesting a response within 15 days regarding the mosque’s status and ownership. Mohammad Yaseen, Joint Secretary of the Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Committee, confirmed that he had already written to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board on Tuesday to verify the status of the mosque.
The situation remains tense at Udai Pratap College, with both students and religious groups seeking clarification on the mosque’s legitimacy on the campus. The outcome of the ongoing dispute is yet to be determined, as the matter continues to draw attention from local authorities and the public.
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