Vested interests deliberately creating confusion about Waqf land: M.B. Patil

Industries Minister addresses confusion over Waqf land in Vijayapura district, denies claims of farmers receiving notices.

Industries Minister M.B. Patil said on Sunday (October 27, 2024) that vested interests were creating confusion about Waqf land in Vijayapura district, and neither the district administration nor the Waqf Board were trying to take over anyone’s farm land.

The Minister, who is in-charge of Vijayapura district, held a meeting of Revenue and Waqf officials earlier. He said a taskforce had been formed to resolve issues related to Waqf properties. It has officers like Additional Deputy Commissioners, Assistant commissioners, tahashildars and Waqf officers. “They will address all confusions,” he said.

At a press meet held in his residence, the Minister said that no agency — State government, district administration, or the Waqf Board — had issued any notices to anyone in Honawad village as claimed, referring to the allegation that farmers had been served notices. “This is absolutely false. A sustained campaign is going on based on fake news. False narratives are being spun,’‘ he said. “Some political leaders are leading this campaign and even national media outlets are running these false stories.”

He reiterated that in Honavad village Waqf Board has only around 10 acres and 29 guntas of land. “No farmer has got any notice, nor has the ownership of any farmer been changed. Some people are creating confusing using copies of the 1974 gazette. They are trying to conceal the 1977 gazette notifications and government orders that has documents that show that the Waqf Board has rectified the 1974 records. No mutations have been conducted, no Records of Rights, Tenancy and Crops have been revised,” Mr. Patil said.

The Minister, however, said that a total of 124 notices pertaining to lands owned by around 430 farmers had been issued elsewhere in the district, mostly in the last month. “They will be resolved in appropriate fora,” he said.

Meanwhile, Tejaswi Surya, MP and BJP leader, responded to the press meet by claiming that Mr. Patil was “lying” and that the Revenue authorities had changed ownership of nine acres in Honavad village to Waqf Board. “There are revenue records submitted to me by the farmers which clearly indicate the change in the Mutation Register and RTC,” he said. On October 25, Mr. Surya had said his office was “open round the clock for farmers who were affected by the Waqf Board claiming back its properties.”