India was intended to be a country where all people could live in equality, dignity, and peace, regardless of their religious beliefs. However, a silent rift is now widening between the minority and the government, particularly in states like Gujarat that are ruled by the BJP.
The trend is evident in the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) proposal and the Waqf property registration requirement: policies are being implemented under the guise of reform and transparency, but they are actually causing misunderstanding, anxiety, and animosity on the ground.No one benefits and the country itself starts to lose when faith and governance cease to trust one another.
Having personally interacted with chairmen of Waqf Committees, members of the UCC Committee, Members of Parliament from all major political parties who either support or oppose the Waqf Bill, leaders of Muslim organizations, and citizens from all walks of life, from labourers to business owners, I have witnessed the situation closely.
Across all these interactions, one emotion stands out:
“We are not being heard.”
The fear is not political, it’s practical, emotional, and deeply human.
The Umeed Portal Burden, When Transparency Becomes Punishment
Under the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025, every trust, mosque, and dargah has been instructed to upload all property records and ownership documents on the Umeed Portal.
The government says this is to promote transparency and modernization. But in practice, it has created enormous logistical and financial strain for thousands of small and rural Mutawallis (caretakers).
1. Travel Costs and Logistical Strain
Many caregivers from far-flung places like interior Kutch, Dang, Banaskantha, Dahod, and other tribal regions must travel great distances to the Gandhinagar office of the State Waqf Board in order to obtain certified documents. For many, this means spending thousands of rupees on travel, food, and administrative paperwork, money they cannot afford.
“Our masjid’s income barely covers electricity and maintenance. To complete registration, I had to spend ₹4,000 just to reach Gandhinagar and collect basic papers,” said a trustee from Kutch.
For a law meant to promote efficiency, it is ironically punishing those already compliant but poor.
2. Lack of Digitalization by Waqf Boards
The majority of State Waqf Boards, including Gujarat’s, have yet to digitize their property and Public Trust Records (PTRs), which is another harsh reality.
A large portion of the documentation is still on paper as of 2025, dispersed, lacking, or unconfirmed. Without digital infrastructure, trustees are being asked to upload data that even the Waqf Boards themselves do not have in verified digital form.
In fact, many Public Trust Records (PTRs), which are essential for uploading and verifying properties, are yet to be created or updated by the State Waqf Board and related offices.
This makes the government’s demand for “100% Umeed Portal registration” unrealistic and burdensome.It exposes an administrative contradiction, the state expects compliance from citizens, while its own departments remain unprepared.
“If the government’s own board hasn’t completed PTRs or digitized files, how can they expect us to complete online registration?” asks Mutawalli from Dahod.
This is not transparency, it is transference of responsibility from an unready system to already overburdened citizens.
3. Administrative Unpreparedness and Mental Pressure
Even Waqf officials admit privately that they lack proper training, technical staff, and working infrastructure to manage the Umeed Portal.
The platform often suffers downtime and data mismatches.
Meanwhile, small institutions, many run by elderly caretakers, are living under fear of being marked “non-compliant,” risking loss of recognition or even control over properties. The result is widespread panic and mental stress, not opposition to reform, but fear of being punished for systemic failure.
Uniform Civil Code, Equality or Experiment
Soon after the Waqf issue arose, the UCC proposal returned to discussion in Gujarat.
While equality before law is a noble goal, the lack of dialogue and timing of these moves have deepened the perception of targeted reform.
For many, the question is not why equality, but why now, and why without trust?
“If equality was the goal, the first step would have been inclusion, not imposition,” said a community scholar from Ahmedabad.
Why Fear Is Growing
1. Unclear Communication:
Policies are announced suddenly, with poor awareness and short deadlines.
2. Selective Consultation:
Only politically aligned representatives are heard, while credible voices are ignored.
3. Unprepared Departments:
Even boards and government offices lack readiness and digital infrastructure.
4. Absence of Dialogue:
Citizens learn of reforms from circulars, not conversations.
5. Emotional Fatigue:
People feel tired of proving their sincerity and compliance repeatedly.
The Silence of the Wise, The Noise of the Ignorant
While confusion grows, India’s intellectuals, reformers, and faith leaders remain largely silent.
The debate is now dominated by those who lack understanding but have the loudest platforms.
“When wisdom goes silent, ignorance becomes government policy.”
This silence is no longer neutral, it’s negligent.
What Are We Achieving, or Losing, as a Nation
No country becomes stronger by dividing hearts.
Every law that generates fear weakens the social fabric.
We are losing Faith in governance and justice,Confidence in democratic fairness,The moral legitimacy of reform, The idea of India, where diversity was meant to be strength, not suspicion.
And what do we gain?
Temporary political points, at the cost of permanent mistrust.If peace and prosperity are truly the government’s goals, it must ask itself,
Why do so many citizens feel anxious instead of assured?
If Peace Is the Goal, Prove It
If peace and prosperity are truly the government’s objectives, then it must first rebuild confidence through fair and inclusive governance.
It should,
Digitize its own records first,
Offer financial and logistical support for rural caretakers,
Train officials properly before enforcing compliance,
Consult genuine community leaders, not selected loyalists,
Communicate clearly and respectfully.
Only then can transparency rebuild trust.
Reform Without Trust Is Regression
India’s strength has always been in its harmony, not uniformity.
Reform is necessary, but reform without readiness, inclusion, or empathy leads to fear, not faith.
“Faith in God can survive any test,” said an Imam in Vadodara,
“but faith in governance must not be tested too often.”
Once that faith breaks, even the fairest law cannot repair it.
