The Indian Parliament passed the Waqf (Amendment) Bill on April 4, 2025 after several hours of critical debates, with the Opposition standing against it. The Congress voted against the bill, supporting voices of several Muslim bodies, who claimed the amendment infringed on religious rights.
The bill continues to face dissent with many petitions filed in the Supreme Court, arguing that the new law is unconstitutional.
Traditionally the Waqf Board is managed by Muslim personal law but one of the biggest change under this legislation is the mandatory inclusion of non-Muslim members in both the State and Central Waqf bodies. Those opposing contend that the Act opens government involvement in matters concerning religious rights of the Muslim community.
BOOM debunked several pieces of misinformation, after the Waqf Act was passed, with old and unrelated videos viral, falsely connecting them to the current issue.
For Fact Check Friday, BOOM brings you the weekly round up of the top five fact-checks.
1. Old Protest Video Of Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Falsely Linked To Waqf Act
An old video of Congress leader and MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was shared falsely claiming that she protested against the Waqf Amendment Act. While the Congress party has said they will organise protests, the viral video is not connected to the Waqf Act.
BOOM found the video is from 2022, when Congress organised a sit-in protest held on August 5, 2022, against rising inflation, not the Waqf Bill.
Read the fact-check here.
2. Old Video of Owaisi Laughing Goes Linked To Waqf Bill
A viral video of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) party MP Asaduddin Owaisi laughing with BJP MPs was misleadingly circulated, claiming he celebrated after the Waqf Bill was passed in the Parliament.
BOOM found that the video is from January 2025, before the Bill was passed in Parliament. It showed members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) on the Waqf Amendment Bill talking to the committee chairman, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal during a break from discussions.
Read the fact-check here.
3. False Claim Viral That Rahul Gandhi Skiped Waqf Bill Debate
A video of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arriving at the Parliament before the Lok Sabha vote on the Waqf Bill was shared with the false claim that he only showed up to vote and skipped the entire debate.
However, BOOM found this to be untrue. Gandhi was present during the debate on the morning of April 2, 2025, and remained in the House even hours after the Bill was passed in the early hours of April 3.
Read the fact-check here.
4. Old Videos Falsely Shared As Mass Protests Against Waqf Act
A set of unrelated old videos—one showing lawyers protesting, and another of a man trying to attack Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar—were falsely linked to the Waqf Act.
BOOM found that the lawyers' protest video was from February 2025, before the Bill was passed, and the video of the attack on Kumar was from March 2022.
Read the fact-check here.
5. Old Video Of Nitish Kumar Being Slapped Linked To Waqf Act
A video of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar being slapped went viral on social media with a false claim that the attacker was angry over Kumar’s support for the Waqf Bill.
However, BOOM found that the incident happened in Bakhtiarpur, Patna in 2022. News reports revealed that the youth who slapped Kumar suffered from a mental health issues.
Read the fact-check here.
