UP Waqf Board claims ownership of 115-year-old Varanasi college,

Varanasi’s Udai Pratap College is in controversy with the Sunni Central Waqf Board of Uttar Pradesh, claiming that a mosque on the campus and land nearby are Waqf property, a charge rejected by the administration of the college.

Photograph: Courtesy of Udai Pratap College

A notice was sent to Udai Pratap College in 2018, claiming that the campus mosque and the college land had been given to the Waqf Board by the Nawab of Tonk. Therefore, the university campus is the property of the Waqf, said director DK Singh.

“The notice came from Wasim Ahmed Khan, a resident of Varanasi. At that time, the then secretary of the college had responded to the notice. In response to the notice, it was stated that the mosque was built illegally, while the property of the college belonged to the trust, it cannot be bought or sold,” he added.

Singh also said that the Waqf Board had attempted to build a mosque later in 2022. Police arrested him after the college administration complained.

The principal alleged that the mosque was stealing electricity from the college and using it illegally.

Meanwhile, DCP, Varuna zone, CK Meena, said the matter dates back to 2022, when the construction work of the mosque was stopped following a complaint from the college administration.

Manaur Rahman, who regularly visits the mosque, said the Waqf Board had claimed the mosque and a few acres of land in front of it.

This mosque is the property of the Nawab of Tonk and dates from his time. The college administration had provided us with the electrical connection by mutual agreement between the college and the mosque administration. The administration cut off electricity a few days ago, Rahman said.

“We also have the documents related to electricity (supply) before this. There is no dispute here but a dispute is being created unnecessarily. We have been offering namaz here for a long time,” he added.

Udai Pratap Autonomous College was conceptualized and established by Rajarshi Udai Pratap Singh Judeo to promote education to enrich the society with the value system of this region.

The beginning was made when Judeo founded Hewett Kshatriya High School in Varanasi in 1909, which was elevated to the level of an intermediate college in 1921 and was renamed Udai Pratap Intermediate College, Varanasi.

The institution was elevated to the level of a university college in 1949, when it began undergraduate courses in arts and commerce.

Recently, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed the college’s 115th Foundation Day celebrations.