On Wednesday, 6th November, the Karnataka Board of Waqf claimed 17 structures in Karnataka’s historic Bidar Fort as its property. According to the reports, these properties are prominent landmarks of the fort, which is located in Bidar, the district headquarters.
Reports suggest that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), the fort’s custodian, is ignorant of the development. The Waqf Board declared that 17 of the 60 properties on the Bidar Fort premises belong to it.
These include the well-known 16-‘Khamba’ (pillars) mosque and 14 tombs of several Bahmani royals and their families, including Ahmed Shah-IV, Ahmed Shah’s wife, Allahuddin, Hassan Khan, Mohammed Shah-III, Nizam, Sultan Ahmed Shah Wali, and Sultan Mahmud Shah.
A top Waqf Board official stated that notices have not yet been served to the ASI. “How can the Board issue a notice to the ASI, which has been the custodian and protector of the historical monuments for several decades? He claimed that a lot of ‘mischief and disinformation’ is being spread in the name of the Waqf Board, which is allegedly bringing a poor name to the Muslim community.”
“Ever since the controversy started, we decided to withdraw all the notices, because it’s unjust and illegal to evict people sitting on a land for a very long time,” the official added. On the other hand, Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Chairman Jagdambika Pal, meanwhile on Thursday, 7th November visited the state of Karnataka amid the ongoing Waqf row and opined that farmers were getting affected due to the Waqf Board.
“You have seen now that the farmers from north Karnataka are at the airport and they have handed over a memorandum which says that the (Waqf) board was claiming a piece of land that belonged to them. I have enquired whether they have the deed (for the land) or (proof of) ownership of the land. They (the farmers) are claiming that they have been here for more than 50-70 years but even then the board is claiming (their land). I will look into it,” Pal said.
“The farmers say that they have been here for almost 70 years, but despite that the Waqf board is claiming ownership of their land,” Pal added. The JPC was constituted to study the Waqf Amendment Bill, which was introduced this year in Parliament.
