Stop all Waqf land registrations in Karnataka, BJP leader writes to Amit Shah

BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly, R Ashoka, on Monday alleged that hasty attempts are being made in the state to register lands claimed by the Waqf Board in anticipation of an amendment to the Waqf Act.
In a letter, he urged Shah and the Chairperson of the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) to instruct the state to immediately stop all such registrations to the Waqf Board until the JPC proceedings are complete.
“As part of this pre-emptive attempt the state government and Waqf board have reportedly begun altering revenue records, transferring ownership of farmers’ lands to the Waqf. This hurried whitewashing and registering of unjust claims of land to Waqf Boards will deprive thousands of farmers and poor people of Karnataka of their just and ancestral property rights,” the letter mentioned.
According to the BJP leader, the issue emerged when notices were sent to hundreds of farmers regarding claims on about 15,000 acres of land in Vijayapura district. He also alleged that the Waqf Board is claiming approximately 10,000 acres of land in a covert manner across each district in Karnataka.
“Additionally, the Waqf board is also claiming lands belonging to temples, Mutts and other religious organisations. It is shocking that even grave yards belonging to Hindu communities are being claimed as Waqf Properties,” the letter said, adding, “These hasty attempts to register properties claimed by Waqf board has created insecurity and panic among people and has erupted violence in Haveri district”.
He urged the Union Minister to instruct the Chief Secretary of Karnataka to immediately stop all land registrations to the Waqf Board.
The Waqf Amendment Bill, seen as the first major initiative from the BJP-led NDA government to reform the registration process for Waqf properties through a centralised system, was introduced in the Lok Sabha in August and is currently under deliberation by the JPC.
The government claims that the amendment is aimed at bringing transparency to the management of mosques and Muslim religious endowments, but the Opposition and Muslim leaders describe it as an ‘unconstitutional’ attempt to ‘seize’ properties from the community.