Bengaluru: Waqf minister BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan Monday said most encroachments on waqf properties in the state are by Muslims and insisted the Waqf Board will not interfere with properties attached to temples, schools or educational institutions. Replying to a question from MY Patil in the assembly, Zameer said the govt’s focus is only on removing encroachments by private parties. “Waqf properties are spread over a total 1,12,860 acres,” he said. “These were not given by the govt but were donated by private individuals for the welfare of the community. Of this, 17,969 acres have been encroached upon. The encroachments were not by temple managements; most are by the Muslim community.” Zameer went on to say only 24,054 acres of waqf land remains with the board. He said 17,580 acres have been encroached upon, 47,263 acres went under Inam abolition, and 23,627 acres came under the Land Reforms Act. He said the govt constituted waqf Lok Adalats in 2023 to identify and recover encroached properties. The move triggered controversy after BJP alleged the Waqf Board had issued notices to farmers claiming thousands of acres of farmland was waqf property. Raising the issue, Patil said several properties in and around Afzalpur in Kalaburagi district are recorded as waqf land but are in private possession. “We cannot launch govt projects on this land and have to look for private land,” Patil said. “But private parties currently possess these properties. They are not under the control of either the Waqf Board or govt.” Opposition leader R Ashoka said BJP’s objection was not about Muslims encroaching waqf land but the board claiming public and temple properties as waqf. “Earlier, temple and waqf land was donated to farmers and they have been tilling the land for generations. If farmers are in possession of the land, it should be left to them irrespective of whether they are Hindu or Muslim,” Ashoka said. Ashoka also called for a probe into waqf property allegedly encroached in Bengaluru: “Let there also be an investigation into the famous Windsor Manor hotel. Mr Zameer, you did not mention this case and instead talked of other issues. You never ever mention it, perhaps because you go there to eat,” he said. Zameer said the dispute relating to the hotel property is currently before the Supreme Court.
