Varanasi: A controversy has arisen over the Waqf Board’s claim on a mosque inside the Uday Pratap College campus in Varanasi and the land in front of it. However, the college administration has completely rejected these claims.
A notice was sent to Uday Pratap College in 2018 claiming that the mosque and college land located on the campus were donated to the Waqf Board by the Nawab of Tonk. Principal DK Singh said that with this claim the college campus was declared a Waqf property.
He said, “This notice was sent by Varanasi resident Wasim Ahmed Khan. The then secretary of the college had immediately replied to the notice in which it had been said that the mosque has been built illegally, while the property of the college is a trust, it can neither be bought nor sold. Singh said that later in 2022, an attempt was made by the Waqf Board to construct a mosque, which was stopped by the police on the complaint of the college administration.
The Principal alleged that electricity was being used in the mosque by stealing it from the college connection, which was disconnected. Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Varuna Zone) Chandrakant Meena said that this matter pertains to 2022 and at that time the construction work on the mosque was stopped on the complaint of the college administration.
Manoor Rehman, a regular visitor to the mosque, said that the mosque and a few acres of land in front of it had been claimed by the Waqf Board, stating that the mosque was the property of the Nawab of Tonk and had been there since his time. Rehman said that the electricity connection was made with the mutual agreement of the college and the mosque administration.
He said that the administration cut off its electricity a few days ago. “We also have the earlier electricity (supply) documents,” he said. There is no controversy here but controversy is being created unnecessarily. We have been offering namaz here since the time of Nawab Tonk.
The concept of Uday Pratap Autonomous College was introduced by Rajesh Uday Pratap Singh Judev with the aim of creating values in the society of the region. It began when Judev established Hewitt Kshatriya High School in Varanasi in 1909, which became an intermediate college in 1921 and was named Uday Pratap Intermediate College.
Subsequently, it became a degree college with the commencement of undergraduate classes in 1949. Recently, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed the 115th foundation day celebration of this college.