Properties of Hindus have been snatched from them in a Tamil Nadu village as the Waqf Board has claimed them as theirs. 50+ acres of agricultural land was seized from Hindu farmers and handed over to Waqf by the district administration. Hindus say that their ownership of the properties was proved at the court and yet the district administration snatched them away.

Recently, a video of some Hindu men and women arguing with police and government officials about seizing their agricultural land went viral on social media. Later details emerged that it was about government authorities snatching the properties of Hindu farmers and handing them over to the Waqf Board as the latter staked claim for them. The incident happened in Veppur village in Ranipet district near Vellore. Ranipet is a Muslim majority region.

While the media didn’t report anything about the issue, Hindu activists and BJP leader H Raja brought it out on social media. Raja tweeted that the TN government took over 56 acres of property belonging to Hindus in Veppur village and handed it over to Waqf. He visited the village and talked to the victims. He said that Hindus got their properties through court from the four wives of one Wahab as they failed to pay back their debts.

“Wahab has been edited as Waqf and the Waqf Board has staked claim to the properties which is a scam”, he said. He termed the DMK rule as “Malik Kafur rule” and alleged that Waqf has claimed ownership of properties worth 7 times of the money lost through the 2G scam. He claimed to have received nearly 1 lakh complaints through his Twitter account alleging loss of Hindu property. He assured that BJP will stand with such victims and fight it in the court if necessary.

A few months ago, the Waqf Board had claimed 7 whole villages in Trichy district as its property. It included a 1500 years old Hindu temple and their 100s of acre properties endowed by kings. The villagers had every document professing ownership of the lands on their name, yet the revenue department declared them as Waqf properties. The Waqf Board claimed that they have records to show that 389 acres of land in the villages belong to them as per surveys conducted in 1954. Its chairperson “felt proud” that Waqf had given land to build temples(yes the 1500 year old one included).

The idea of Waqf, the concept of Islamic land ownership dictates that ‘Once a Waqf, always a Waqf’. Just like once you become a Muslim you can never leave it; when a land owned by Muslims becomes ‘Waqf’, then it can never revert back to non-Muslims. This absurd claim has been strengthened by the Waqf Act, 1995. Waqf properties which were around 4 lakh acres in 2009 have doubled up and become 8,54,509 properties spread over 8 lakh acres now.

One might remember the Gujarat Waqf Board’s absurd claim of two islands in Bet Dwarka. Fortunately the High Court judge who heard the matter was smart enough to ask how Waqf can stake ownership to Devbhoomi Dwarka. It is time that the Waqf Board Act is revised and severe measures taken against land jihad.