The Karnataka government has issued a directive to halt all property mutation processes connected to the alleged registration of farmers' land and other private properties under the Waqf Board. The decision was announced amid escalating concerns over property rights and unauthorised administrative actions.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered the immediate suspension of ongoing property mutations and directed the withdrawal of any notices linked to these cases.
The Chief Minister has also asked officials to ensure that no action is taken against farmers actively cultivating lands involved in the dispute, offering them relief amid fears of losing their property rights.
Furthermore, the Congress-led state government has also warned officials of disciplinary action against those found to have issued orders without proper authorisation.
The directive came a day after Chairman of the Joint Committee of Parliament on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Jagdambika Pal, received over 500 petitions from farmers in Karnataka's northern districts, who alleged that their lands were marked as Waqf properties.
According to BJP MP Tejasvi Surya, who is also a JPC member, he along with Pal visited Hubballi, Vijayapura and Belagavi, districts, during which farmers and members of various organisations alleged that their lands were being claimed by the State Waqf Board and
"Jagdambika Pal along with Surya received over 500 petitions from farmers from Vijayapura, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Hubballi, Bagalkote and Belgavi on their agricultural land being claimed by the Waqf Board as Waqf property," Surya's office said in a statement.
However, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said, the tour of Pal and Surya was "politically motivated", with an eye on the upcoming assembly by-polls in the state and election in neighbouring Maharashtra.
Meanwhile, opposition BJP in Karnataka has been holding protests, accusing the Congress government of indulging in "land jihad". The party has also demanded the sacking of Waqf Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan from the Cabinet.
Source: India Today