Kolkata, Dec. 3 -- Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee strongly criticised the amended Waqf Act passed by the BJP-led government on Wednesday, assuring minority communities in Malda that the state would not allow anyone to encroach upon their properties or religious spaces.
Addressing a rally in Gazole, she said confusion had spread after the Centre recently began registering Waqf properties on a central portal, although the law itself had already triggered protests across the country, including in Murshidabad.
The amended Act removes the exclusive authority of the Waqf Board in declaring a property as Waqf land and gives district magistrates or equivalent officers the final power, an aspect opposed by several political parties.
The state ass...