This legislation has targeted one particular religion: Omar Abdullah on Waqf law amendments

NEW DELHI: Amid protests over the new Waqf legislation in several parts of the country, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday alleged the law "targeted one particular religion" despite India being a secular country.

Abdullah was speaking to reporters on the legislation and protests in West Bengal's Murshidabad district over the law on the sidelines of a conference in Delhi.

The Centre on April 8 notified the Waqf (Amendment) Act, which received President Droupadi Murmu's assent on April 5 after its passage in Parliament following heated debates in both Houses.

The discussions witnessed objections from opposition parties that described the legislation as "anti-Muslim and unconstitutional" while the government said the "historic reform" would benefit the minority community.

"My party has already filed a petition in front of the Supereme Court, and now leave it to the judges. We are among a number of organisations that have approached the Supreme Court to look at this. Let them take a look," the National Conference vice-president said.

"We believe this piece of legislation has targeted one particular religion… We are supposed to be a secular state, all religions are supposed to be treated equally, we believe that we have a right to be treated equally. We want the Supreme Court to adjudicate on this. Now, we will wait," he added.

Jammu and Kashmir's ruling National Conference had on April 11 said it filed a petition in the Supreme Court, challenging the amendments to the Waqf Act.

Several Muslim bodies and leaders of different opposition parties have challenged the constitutionality of the law in the top court, which will hear the case on April 16.

Besides protests in Murshidabad, agitations against the legislation took place in a few other parts of the country on Sunday.