'Mosque being constructed secretly': Now, Waqf claims 115-year-old college in Varanasi

The Lucknow Waqf Board has claimed ownership to the Uday Pratap (UP) College, a 115-year-old college in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi. In its notice, the Waqf Board stated that the property of the college is attached to the Sunni board. 

The college spans across over 100 acres and more than 17,000 students study there. The huge campus houses UP Degree College, Inter College, Rajarshi Shishu Vihar, Rajarshi Public School, Rani Murar Girls School, etc. 

UP College Principal Dr DK Singh told ABP News that the notice was sent on December 6, 2018 and the college responded to it on December 21, 2018. The college said in its response that the college is being run by a trust, ceasing anyone's ownership rights to it.

He added that while the college trust has responded to the Waqf notice, students informed that a mosque is being constructed secretly in the area. Following this, the administration kicked into action and all the construction material was removed.

The college administration also informed the authorities and got their electricity connection removed since the board did not have requisite papers for the mosque.

Dr Singh added that it is absurd to imagine that the Waqf will acquire the college since it is a highly reputed educational institution.

As per media reports, Raja Uday Pratap Singh Judev founded the 'Hewett Kshatriya High School' in Varanasi in 1909, which later developed into Uday Pratap Singh Autonomous College. 

In 1909 itself, Raja Uday Pratap Singh Judev formed the Uday Pratap College and Hewett Kshatriya School Endowment Trust, under which the college is run.  As per the Charitable Endowment Act, the ownership of the trust land automatically ceases after the base year.

Notably, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reached the college on its foundation day. In his address to the faculty and students, CM Yogi talked about his plans of converting the college into a university.  

He also said in his address that the Waqf Board cannot take over the 115-year-old under any circumstances. If the plan to make the Uday Pratap College a university is materialised, Varanasi will get its fifth university. 

As of now, Varanasi has four universities -- Sampurnanand Sanskrit University, Kashi Hindu University, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, and Central Higher Tibetan Education Institute. 

At present, 30 Waqf boards across India control and manage 9.4 lakh acres of land across 8.7 lakh properties with an estimated value of over Rs 1 lakh crore. 

With this, the Waqf board is the third largest landowner in the country after the Indian Railways and the armed forces.