The joint parliamentary committee examining the controversial waqf amendment bill continued to witness uproar at its latest meeting on Monday, with the Opposition walking out in protest against the admissibility of an “unauthorised” report.

A waqf property is an endowment made by a Muslim to a religious, educational or charitable cause, and cannot be taken over for other purposes. The bill aims to reduce the powers of the waqf boards, which can now designate any property as waqf property.

Opposition members on the House panel staged a symbolic walkout, protesting against the submission of a report from the Delhi waqf board that the state’s Aam Aadmi Party government has not approved.

Last week, Trinamul Congress member Kalyan Banerjee was suspended for a day from participating in the panel’s meetings after he smashed a bottle during an argument with a BJP member on the panel, Abhijit Ganguly. Monday’s meeting was the first after the incident.

A row erupted on Monday after the Delhi waqf board administrator submitted a report before the panel. Opposition members protested, citing a letter from Delhi chief minister Atishi to the committee chairperson that saysthe report placed before the House panel lacks the mandatory approval of the state government.

Atishi’s letter says the report should be treated as “null and void”.

Sources said that Opposition members walked out, led by AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh, alleging that unauthorised reports and people with no stake in the bill were being entertained by the panel with an ulterior motive. They, however, returned to participate in the meeting after some time.

Responding to the protest by Opposition members, panel chairperson Jagdambika Pal of the BJP referred the Delhi waqf board’s report to Lok Sabha secretary-general Utpal Kumar Singh seeking a legal opinion, sources said.

There was another uproar at the meeting when waqf board members from BJP-ruled Uttarakhand, while deposing before the committee, requested the allotment of waqf properties to the families of martyred soldiers.

Several Opposition members protested, alleging an effort to grab properties donated by Muslim families for religious and charitable purposes.

The bill, tabled in the Lok Sabha a few months ago, proposes sweeping changes to the way waqf properties are managed. It has turned into a big political issue amid Opposition fears that it’s yet another move by the BJP to target Muslims. Amid the controversy, the bill was referred to the joint parliamentary panel for further examination.