The UP Waqf Board has recently claimed ownership of the 115-year-old Udai Pratap College in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. The dispute, which initially surfaced in 2018, has reignited amid the ongoing debate surrounding the Waqf Amendment Bill.

The Uttar Pradesh Central Sunni Waqf Board has claimed that the college’s land, which covers more than 100 acres, is Waqf property. They say it is linked to a historical mosque located within the college campus.

However, the college administration has strongly denied this claim. They argue that the land belongs to a charitable endowment, which means it cannot be sold or transferred. 

The college administration clarified that Udai Pratap College was established in 1909 under the Charitable Endowment Act, and the land belongs to a charitable trust, not to the Waqf. With over 17,000 students currently enrolled, Udai Pratap College is a major educational institution in the region.

The management of Udai Pratap College in Varanasi said that after their response to the Uttar Pradesh Central Sunni Waqf Board’s claim in 2018, no further action was taken by the Board for several years.

However, in 2022, an attempt was made by the Waqf Board to begin construction work at the mosque located within the college campus. This move was stopped by the police after the college filed a complaint, according to the college principal, DK Singh.

The principal accused the Waqf Board of illegally cutting the electricity supply to a shrine on the college campus, claiming the power was being "illegally stolen" from the college.

The original notice claiming ownership of the land was issued by Wasim Ahmed Khan, a Varanasi resident who passed away in 2022. While there have been no further actions taken by the Waqf Board in recent years, the issue has come to the forefront again with the upcoming Waqf Amendment Bill, which is set to be presented in the Lok Sabha.

The Waqf Board's claim over the 100-acre college land, which is also home to a mosque, continues to fuel tensions, as both sides prepare for a possible legal battle.