Hindu Munnani, a Tamil Nadu-based Hindu organisation, has initiated a protest against the MK Stalin-led DMK government in Tamil Nadu, accusing it of wrongdoing in connivance with the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board, which resulted in the latter claiming ownership of 57 acres of a Hindu farmer’s land near Vellore.
வக்ஃப் வாரிய மோசடியும் – சொந்த நிலத்தை இழந்த ஹிந்து மக்கள் அவலமும் – பிரச்சனைக்கு முற்றுப்புள்ளி வைக்க வேண்டும் – மாநில தலைவர் காடேஸ்வரம் சுப்ரமணியம் அவர்கள் அறிக்கை#Waqf#LandJihad#Hindumunnanihttps://t.co/VvNjSyeuGx
— Hindu Munnani (@hindumunnaniorg) January 28, 2023
According to TV Rajesh, the Ranipet district president of Hindu Munnani, DMK Minister R Gandhi and the district collector deceptively took away the agricultural lands of Hindu farmers without notice, despite objections from the impacted families.
The incident reportedly occurred recently in the Veppur hamlet in the Arcot Union in Ranipet District, near Vellore, Tamil Nadu.
Hindu Munnani district president TV Rajesh said, “In the 1900s, a land parcel of nearly 57 acres was held by one Wahab and divided among his four wives, who, after his death, mortgaged it to Hindus and failed to pay the amount they took from them. A case related to this was decided in favour of the Hindus in Chengalpet court, and pattas were issued to them. They had been farming there for the last forty or fifty years. This 57-acre parcel of land is now owned by nearly 30 families.”
“Ranipet MLA and Tamil Nadu Minister Gandhi, a District Collector armed with police and revenue officials, descended on the village without following due process of law and issuing notices, only to inform them that the lands are Waqf properties. They have no authority over them,” Rajesh added.
Referring to a video that was first uploaded on social media on January 7, 2023, but recently went viral, Rajesh went on to explain how these poor Hindu farmers implored authorities to reverse their decision, but to no avail.
“In a video, villagers can be seen pleading with authorities and ministers to reconsider their decision. Some even begged the authorities because it is their sole source of income. Some have even questioned the illegal action, stating that they are prepared to submit documents if permitted, and have requested a meeting with authorities. The words and wailing of the helpless Hindus fall on deaf ears. Another minority appeasement measure,” TV Rajesh added.
Arcot Veypur , agricultural lands which have been the livelihood of Hindus for more than a hundred years are now shown as owned by the Islamic Class Board, Ranipet district administration canceled the Hindus Patta overnight and handed it over to Muslims. #TamilNadu #Waqf pic.twitter.com/smUIbj15ki
— 🇮🇳 𝕽𝖊𝖓𝖚𝖐𝖆 (@Renuka9907) January 7, 2023
In the above video, the government official is heard saying, “I don’t know in whose name the lands were till yesterday or the day before yesterday. But today the land is under the control of the Waqf Board. Since it is under Waqf Board, they’ve asked us to survey the land.”
When the people confront the official asking, “Consider the patta has been changed in 3 days. Did you check the names on the patta prior before that?”, the official can be seen evading the question.
“How can the name on the patta change in just a matter of 3 days?”, the people inquired. They also complained that the RDO has been unreachable.
TN govt insidiously took over 56 acres of Hindu land and turned it over to the Waqf Board: BJP
Condemning the exploitation of poor Hindu farmers by the DMK government and the Waqf Board, BJP national secretary H Raja highlighted how the TN government unscrupulously took over 56 acres of Hindu land in Veppur village and turned it over to the Waqf Board.
He claimed to have visited these Hindu farmers, who informed him that the Hindus had obtained their properties through the courts from the four wives of one Wahab who had failed to repay his debts. “Wahab was altered as Waqf by the TN authorities after which the Waqf Board asserted claim on these properties, said H Raja, calling it a huge scam.
“DMK control is Malik Kafur rule,” H Raja added, slamming the DMK government for exploiting destitute Hindu farmers for appeasement politics.
BJP accuses the DMK government of engaging in appeasement politics
Meanwhile, in a statement released by Hindu Munnani state president Kaadeswara Subramanium pertaining to this looming issue in various parts of Tamil Nadu, he said, “In Tamil Nadu, there are 53,834 properties owned by 7,452 Waqf Boards, the majority of which are encroached properties or illegally converted by fake documents. Certain Waqf Board properties have titles in the names of third parties. Section 51 (1A) of the Waqf Act, 1995, read with Section 104A, provides that any sale, gift or transfer, mortgage, or change of name of Waqf property is invalid from the start of the transaction.”
He added, “the Waqf Board has the authority to decide whether a property in dispute is a Waqf property or not, according to Section 40 of the Waqf Act. Furthermore, Waqf properties are declared public properties under the Properties (Removal of Unlawful Occupiers) Act of 1975. Registration of the sale of Waqf properties is prohibited under the Registration Act of 1908. The Waqf Board administrators who manage the Waqf Board properties illegally sold and kept it with them without proper documentation.”
He further accused the DMK government of transferring ownership of the government-owned and private property to the Waqf Board under the pretext of expediting the process of classifying and measuring Waqf Board lands in order to garner Muslim votes.
He further said, “Hindu people are now in danger of losing their own land, which they have owned for generations, due to government misclassification. Regrettably, the Department of Registration does not have complete information on the locations of lands under this Board. This problem affects thousands of families in many districts, including Coimbatore, Tirupur, Trichy, and Vellore.”
Tamil Nadu Waqf Board claims ownership of 7 Hindu-majority villages and a 1500-year-old temple
It must be recalled here how last year, OpIndia reported how the Tamil Nadu Waqf board had claimed ownership of 7 Hindu villages in the state. The villagers had additionally, alleged that the Waqf Board also claimed that the 1500-year-old Sundareswarar Temple belongs to them. Notably, the Waqf Board has placed posters across the villages claiming ownership of the village land.
Tamil Nadu Waqf Board claims ownership of a Hindu-majority village
This news came days after it was reported that the Waqf Board had encroached on an entire hamlet with a Hindu majority population in Tamil Nadu. On September 11, OpIndia reported how Thiruchenthurai village near Trichy, Tamil Nadu has been designated as a waqf property by the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board. Thiruchenthurai is a village situated on the south bank of the Cauvery river in Tamil Nadu.
When this subject was brought to the District Collector’s attention by the villagers, he stated that the matter will be investigated and action will be taken after that.
How Waqf Boards have been insidiously claiming ownership of various properties in India
In India, the issue of illegal land encroachment in the name of religion is not new. A slew of instances has clearly proven how establishments such as the Central Wakf Board may be illegally taking ownership of land by labelling it as ‘Waqf’ property. The same board has been accused over and again of fraudulently obtaining lands and public spaces, and the relevance of their actions has rightly remained questionable.
The country today has up to 30 Waqf Boards, which have thus far infringed on many properties and temple lands, with the pattern of operation being consistent in most cases. Muslims usually first start performing namaz on these lands. Then, villages are constructed around it after declaring it a religious site. It then becomes easier to sell or lease land near these illegal settlements.
There are currently 50,000 Waqf properties in the country, covering 6,00,000 acres. These properties have earned 150 crores in revenue thus far and consistent efforts are being made to increase this.
OpIndia last year chronicled 21 such instances when the Waqf Board in India has mismanaged assets, encroached, illegally disposed of and infringed on various properties in the last few years.
