A shocking case of the Waqf Board encroaching on a property has come to light in Tamil Nadu, where an entire village with a Hindu majority population has been declared as waqf property. 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.
The issue was uncovered when a person named Rajagopal attempted to sell his 1 acre 2 cents of land to one Rajarajeshwari. When Rajagopal, a resident of the nearby village Mullikarupur village arrived at the Registrar’s office to get the sale of his land registered, he was surprised to learn that the land did not belong to him and instead belonged to the Waqf Board.
ஹிந்து கிராமமே வக்பு வாரிய சொத்து?பத்திரப்பதிவு செய்ய மறுக்கும் அக்கிரமம்! https://t.co/7M9NTsGBpe
— Dinamalar (@dinamalarweb) September 9, 2022
“The Waqf Board owns the land on which you have come to register the deed. This contract cannot be registered, according to the Waqf Board’s directive,” Murali, the registrar, stated. “You should obtain a no-obligation certificate from the Waqf Board in Chennai,” he further added. “Why do I need to obtain a no-obligation certificate from the Waqf Board to sell my land which I purchased in 1992?” Rajagopal inquired in astonishment.
Showing a 250-page letter from Tamil Nadu Waqf Board to Rajagopal, the registrar said that any sale of land in Tiruchenthurai village requires a no-objection certificate from the Waqf Board in Chennai. “The Waqf Board has informed the Deeds Department by letter and documentation that the entire village is theirs. It has also been stated that individuals who come to register a deed for land in the village should obtain a certificate of no objection from them,” he elaborated.
When Rajagopal narrated the incident to the villagers, the entire villagers were shocked to learn that their land is not theirs. They wondered how Waqf Board can claim ownership of the entire village when the villagers have all the necessary land documents for their respective lands, both residential and agricultural.
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.
Trichy district BJP leader Allur Prakash said, “Tiruchendurai village, near Trichy, is an agricultural area dominated by Hindus. What is the Waqf Board’s connection with Thiruchenthurai Village?”
“There is Manendiyavalli Sametha Chandrasekhara Swamy temple in the village. According to many documents and evidence, this temple is 1,500 years old. The temple holds 369 acres of property in and around Tiruchenthurai village. Is this temple property also owned by the Waqf Board? What is the basis for this? How can the Waqf Board proclaim without any fundamental evidence when the revenue records belong to individuals?” he continued.
