Imams of the Delhi Waqf Board gathered outside the residence of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to protest the delay in the release of their salaries.
Chairman of the All India Imam Association, Sajid Rashidi, expressed frustration over the non-payment of salaries for the past 17 months. Rashidi mentioned that despite continuous meetings with government officials, including the CM and the Lieutenant Governor, no action has been taken to resolve the issue.
“It has been 17 months and our salaries have not been paid. We have been trying to highlight this for the last six months. We met the CM, the LG, and senior and junior officers. If the salaries are not released, we will sit on protest here and not leave until the issue is resolved,” Rashidi told media.
Rashidi criticized the lack of progress, pointing out that they had met Delhi Education Minister Atishi 20 days ago, who had promised resolution within a few days. However, no action has followed.
Another Imam from Paharganj, Mohammad Ibrahim, shared his plight, saying, “I am an Imam at a Masjid in Paharganj, and we haven’t received salaries for 17 months. This is the third time this week that we have tried to meet Arvind Kejriwal. Our leader Rashidi Sahab has been trying for six months to meet him. We are under immense stress, as 17 months is a very long time.”
Mohammad Murtaza, an Imam from Chandni Chowk, added, “The problem is that we haven’t received our salaries for 17 months. We always fulfill our duties, but only the Waqf Board knows the reason for this delay.”
The protesting Imams urged CM Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government to address their grievances immediately, warning that the protests would continue until their pending dues are cleared.