UP: Waqf reforms, madrasa overhaul and mosque disputes dominate headlines

Lucknow: An order for eateries to display their names, termed “religious profiling” by a section, police arrests over ‘I Love Mohammad’ banners, and waqf property registration hogged the headlines in Uttar Pradesh for a good part of the year.

The Uttar Pradesh government persisted in framing laws for the mosques and other Muslim structures, moves that only met with tacit approval from the community, and at times outright rejection.

During July-August, Hindu activists inspecting roadside eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route sparked a controversy.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the action, alleging that goons also forced dhaba owners on the Delhi-Dehradun highway to lower their pants to ascertain their religion.

Former Samajwadi Party MP S T Hasan condemned the rule that stipulated that eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route display their credentials.

In April, the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, was implemented after completion of the consultation process. Registration of Sunni and Shia Waqf Board properties on the Umeed Portal was followed. The deadline for registration was extended to June 5.

Official figures show that UP has the highest number of waqf properties in the country, totalling around 1.27 lakh. Of these, nearly 1.19 lakh belong to the Sunni Waqf Board and about 8,000 to the Shia Waqf Board.

By December, around 70 per cent of Sunni waqf properties were registered, and about 6,500 Shia waqf

properties had been entered into the portal.