Protests Over Waqf Bill Disrupt J&K Assembly, Session Adjourned Multiple Times Amid Uproar

Hemani Kandhari 

Jammu, April 7: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed repeated disruptions on Monday as protests broke out over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The chaos forced multiple adjournments, and the session was finally put off until April 8.

As the House resumed after more than a week, members from the National Conference (NC), Congress, and an Independent MLA moved an adjournment motion demanding a discussion on the Waqf amendments passed recently by Parliament. However, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather rejected the motion, stating that the issue is already under consideration by the Supreme Court, and as per House rules, such motions cannot be allowed when the matter is sub judice.

This decision triggered strong protests. MLAs from NC and Congress stood up, demanding time to speak, while BJP members insisted on starting the scheduled Question Hour. The resulting uproar led to both Treasury and Opposition members shouting slogans. With no order in the House, the Speaker adjourned the session for 15 minutes.

After the short break, as the session resumed, NC members again stormed the Well of the House, demanding the discussion on Waqf amendment. BJP members also raise slogans in protest. Some members tore the papers listing the day’s business, ignoring repeated appeals by the Speaker to maintain order.

The Speaker then adjourned the House again for 20 minutes. However, it took longer than expected for the Assembly to resume, eventually reconvening around 1:15 PM. The situation remained tense — NC and Congress MLAs shouted slogans, stood on their seats, and waved black cloths in protest, while BJP members responded with slogans of their own.

Unable to restore order, the Speaker finally adjourned the Assembly for the rest of the day.

Following the adjournment, NC and Congress leaders staged a sit-in on the stairs outside the Assembly building. They expressed anger at not being allowed to speak on the Waqf Bill and addressed the media, demanding their voices be heard in the House.