Several senior Muslim clerics and members of the community wore black armbands across Madhya Pradesh on the last Jumma Namaz on Friday ahead of Eid during the ongoing holy month of Ramadan in protest against the Union government’s move to amend the Waqf law.

In Bhopal, Shahar Qazi Mushtaq Ali Nadvi Sahab and Shahar Mufti Maulana Mufti Abdul Kalam Sahab offered namaz sporting black armbands.

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At other places like Vidisha, Raisen, and some other cities, many members of the Muslim community wore black armbands to protest the Centre’s Waqf Amendment Bill 2024.

The protest was in response to a call made by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) a day earlier.

The protesters claimed that the amendment would deprive the Muslim community of its control over mosques, dargahs, madrasas, graveyards, and other institutions.

Meanwhile, two Muslim groups clashed inside a mosque in Raisen district following a dispute over wearing black armbands.

According to police, a clash broke out at the Makbara mosque in Begumganj, some 80 kilometres from Raisen district headquarters, resulting in injuries to three persons who were hospitalised.

According to Begumganj police station Inspector Rajeev Uikey, the dispute occurred around 1 pm during ‘Zohar’ prayers between Shakil Ahmad, president of the Muslim Festival Committee, and one Syed Sawesh Ali over the wearing of the black armband as part of the protest.

It resulted in a clash in which knives were used, leading to blood spilling on the mosque floor, which delayed the prayers by an hour.

The police officer said that some people have been arrested in this connection and a probe is underway.