Rush Hour: Modi defends Waqf Amendment Act amid protests, Mehul Choksi arrested in Belgium and more

Rigged rankings, fake assessments – is your degree at risk? Fund our special project: India’s Great Education Betrayal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday stated that Muslim youths would not have to “fix punctures” if waqf land had been properly utilised for the community’s benefit. Speaking in Hisar, Haryana, after laying the foundation stone for a new airport terminal, Modi claimed that vast amounts of waqf land could have helped the poor if used correctly.

He accused the “land mafia” of exploiting waqf properties for their gain.

Modi asserted that the newly amended waqf law would stop the exploitation of the poor, particularly poor Muslims and Pasmanda (Dalit and backward caste) Muslims, by ensuring that land or property belonging to them cannot be touched by the waqf board. “This is real social justice,” he said.

His remarks came amid violent protests against the law in West Bengal’s Murshidabad district that have left three dead. More than 200 persons have been arrested in connection with the protests. In Assam too, a protest in Cachar district against the Act turned violent on Sunday. Read on.

Fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi has been arrested in Belgium following India’s extradition request related to the Rs 13,000-crore Punjab National Bank fraud case. Choksi, wanted by the...

Read more