In a symbolic show of dissent against the Waqf Amendment Act, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB)on Wednesday night launched a nationwide ‘Batti Gul’ (lights-off) protest.
At 9 PM, homes, shops, and offices across several cities switched off their lights for 15 minutes in a silent yet powerful demonstration, plunging entire neighborhoods into darkness, save for glowing streetlights.
The protest saw widespread participation in Hyderabad, where AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, along with numerous residents and shopkeepers, turned off the lights of their homes and establishments.
Similar scenes unfolded at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) and Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU), where students turned off lights and raised slogans like “kaala kaanon wapas lo” (repeal the black law), underscoring student opposition to the Act.
In Delhi’s Jamia Nagar, the headquarters of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind also joined in, switching off all lights in solidarity with the call.
The AIMPLB has called the Waqf Act and its amendments a systematic encroachment on Muslim endowments and community autonomy, vowing to continue peaceful resistance until their demands are heard.
