New Delhi: AIMIM leader Waris Pathan was detained by the Mumbai Police on Friday, April 11, while protesting against the Waqf Amendment Bill 2025. The incident took place outside the Hindustani Mosque in Byculla.
The protest started after Friday prayers when some members of the Muslim community raised slogans and displayed placards opposing the Waqf bill. A video of the incident is also going viral on social media, in which Pathan can be seen wearing a black armband as a symbol of protest, among many party workers who were taken into police custody.
A large crowd gathered outside the Hindustani Mosque after the Friday prayers. Pathan, who came to offer prayers, was seen interacting with media personnel minutes before his detention. A member of the crowd tied a black band around his arms as a symbol of disagreement. Once the prayers ended, the crowd began to raise slogans against the Waqf Amendment Bill, expressing their problems related to what they believe are injustices under the current legal framework.
#WATCH | Mumbai, Maharashtra: Police detains AIMIM National Spokesperson Waris Pathan and other party leaders and workers who were protesting against the Waqf Amendment Bill. pic.twitter.com/OyLVI2Evzj
— ANI (@ANI) April 11, 2025
Visuals from the scene show protestors holding placards while police officials try to manage the crowd. The situation quickly turned tense, provoking immediate police interference.
Pathan blamed the revised Bill, expressing it as unconstitutional and a breach of the rights to equality and religious administration certified by the Indian Constitution—specifically Articles 14, 25, and 26.