Notice from Waqf Board sparks land ownership dispute in Vijayapura

Vijayapura: Notices from the Waqf Board to farmers in Vijayapura district have sparked widespread controversy, with the mention of Waqf ownership in farmers' Pahani records raising suspicions of potential property grabs under the Waqf name. A recent case highlights this issue: a Hindu family who had allowed a Muslim family a small plot of land for funeral purposes now finds their entire property marked as Waqf-owned.

In 2019, Survey No. 271 of Honnutagi Village, totalling 13 acres and 8 guntas, was marked as Waqf property in the Pahani records of farmer Suresh Terdal. The family, who had only verbally permitted a small area of their land to be used by the Muslim community for funerals, was shocked to find that not only this part but the entire 13.8-acre property was listed as Waqf-owned. In response, the Terdal family has called on the government to cancel the Waqf entry on their land and restore their property rights. The state government has indicated that it may withdraw notices issued to affected farmers and rectify such disputed Waqf entries.

In a related development, farmers report that the term "Karnataka Waqf Board," which had appeared in several Pahani records, was reportedly removed by revenue department officials overnight, a move seen as an initial success for the farmers. Adding to the support for the farmers, Bengaluru South MP Tejaswi Surya has formally requested that the Joint Parliamentary Committee investigating the Waqf Act hear directly from farmers in Vijayapura affected by these unexpected property claims.