• Source:PTI
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Varanasi's Udai Pratap College is at the centre of a controversy, with the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board asserting that a mosque on the campus and nearby land are Waqf properties, a claim firmly denied by the college administration. The Waqf Board issued a notice to the college in 2018, asserting that the Nawab of Tonk had donated the land, making it Waqf property. 

Principal DK Singh explained that the notice was sent by Varanasi resident Wasim Ahmed Khan, to which the then-college secretary responded, asserting that the mosque was constructed illegally and that the college property belongs to a trust that cannot be bought or sold.    

"The notice came from Varanasi resident Wasim Ahmed Khan. At that time, the then-secretary of the college had responded to the notice. In response to the notice, it was said that the mosque was built illegally, while the property of the college belongs to the trust, it can neither be bought nor sold," he added.

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Principal DK Singh further alleged that in 2022, the Waqf Board attempted to build a mosque on the campus, a move halted by police after the college complained. He also accused the mosque of illegally using the college’s electricity.

DCP CK Meena confirmed that the issue resurfaced in 2022 when construction was stopped on the college’s complaint. Meanwhile, Manaur Rahman, a regular visitor to the mosque, stated that the mosque and adjacent land belonged to the Nawab of Tonk. He contended that an agreement had previously granted electricity to the mosque, but the college recently severed the connection. Rahman claimed they possessed documents proving prior electricity arrangements and accused the college of unnecessarily escalating the dispute.

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Founded by Rajarshi Udai Pratap Singh Judeo, the college was established to promote education in the region, evolving from Hewett Kshatriya High School in 1909 to a degree college by 1949. Recently, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attended the institution’s 115th foundation day celebrations.