By Meryl Sebastian & Neyaz Farooquee
A proposal to amend a decades-old law that governs properties worth millions of dollars donated by Indian Muslims over centuries has triggered protests in the country.
The properties, which include mosques, madrassas, shelter homes and thousands of acres of land, are called waqf and are managed by a board.
The new bill – which introduces more than 40 amendments to the existing law – was expected to be tabled in the current parliament session after incorporating changes suggested by a joint committee of MPs.
But the committee is now set to ask for more time to submit its recommendations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government says that the proposed changes are necessary to root out corruption in the management of these properties and address demands for reform from the Muslim community.
But several Muslim groups and opposition parties have called the changes politically motivated and an attempt by Modi’s Hindu nationalist party to weaken the rights of minorities.
The bill was first introduced in parliament in August but then sent to a joint parliamentary committee for their recommendations.
This story was originally published in bbc.com. Read the full story here.
