In a move to protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, the Solidarity Youth Movement, the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Kerala, has announced plans to block Calicut International Airport on April 9, 2025. The protest is part of a larger demonstration against the newly passed bill, which has been met with criticism by several groups within the Muslim community.
The group’s leaders include prominent figures such as Malik Motasim Khan, a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and vice president of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, and Hameed Vaniyambalam, vice president of the Welfare Party of India. Other individuals supporting the protest include Dr. Nahas Mala, a Shoora member of JIH Kerala, and T. Ismayil, general secretary of Solidarity Youth Movement, among others.
The protest has been met with opposition from local authorities. In response, the Kerala Police issued a notice warning that the protest would be held without the necessary legal permissions. The police said that the blockade could disrupt the movement of the public and cause potential disturbances at the airport. They also threatened to seize vehicles used to transport protesters and take legal action against those involved.
According to the police statement, “We have received information that the Solidarity and ST organizations are planning to block the Calicut International Airport on April 9, 2025, as part of their protest against the Waqf Amendment Bill. This protest is being organized without police permission. Such an unlawful protest could obstruct public movement and airport operations, and we may have to take action to prevent this.”
Despite these warnings, the Solidarity Youth Movement has vowed to continue with the blockade. Thoufeeq Mampad, president of the movement, stated on his Facebook page, “We will block the main roads to Calicut Airport. This blockade is not merely our wish; it is an unwavering resolve. We will face the consequences and respond through democratic means.”
Advocate Abdul Wahid, the Kerala state president of the Students Islamic Organisation, criticized the police’s actions. He said, “The police have served notices to bus owners, threatening to confiscate vehicles transporting people to the protest. This mirrors the approach used in BJP-ruled states, suppressing democratic protests against the Waqf Act.”
He further added, “This protest is our right. We will not back down. The Kerala government’s police force, despite the Left’s opposition to the Waqf Act, is trying to suppress Muslim political expression. We will not let them succeed.”
Reacting to the police’s notice, an activist commented, “Pinarayi Vijayan’s so-called Secular Police — led by those same individuals who donned kefiyyas at their party Congress — have now issued a notice to the bus owners’ associations in Kerala. Curiously, this notice wasn’t even directed at the organizational leaders spearheading the airport march against the Waqf Amendment, but instead at the Bus Owners’ Association. A direct threat that buses transporting protesters will be confiscated and seized! Where do these abrupt overreaching, and extra-legal measures emerge from? And to what end?”
“The clear intent is to stifle any emerging form of Muslim political expression that challenges their authority. This pattern will persist unless this mini-RSS police force, along with their Sarsangh Calak — home minister, are dragged into the streets to confront the Waqf issue — that can only be accomplished through a unified Muslim stand,” he said.
