Karnataka: Fears of Waqf board occupying Hindu temples and houses lead to clashes between two sides in Kadakol, several houses vandalised and 5 people injured

Assistant commissioners and tahsildars have been instructed to "verify all property documents listed by the district waqf board and send a report to the office. This means not all these belong to the board," said Deputy Commissioner Vijay Mahantesh after the clash

Hindus in a village in Karnataka’s Haveri district fear that the Waqf might seize their temples and houses. They charged that some local Muslims submitted a petition to district officials claiming waqf land in the village which led to chaos and stone pelting between the members of the two communities. According to media reports, tension spread in Kadakol village of Haveri district late on 30th October when local Hindus asserted that the Muslims had filed a petition to declare the premises of Lord Hanuman temple, Goddess Durga temple and the land around it as Waqf property. They asked the Muslims about the same which led to the conflict.

The disagreement initially started with a local Muslim leader Mohammad Rafi in the village as the worried Hindus confronted him but it soon escalated to throwing stones and his house was also attacked in the unrest. The Savanur taluk’s Kadakol village is currently peaceful, per the police. Five people have been injured and an individual who was hurt during the violence was transported to Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in Hubballi for treatment and is out of danger now.

A parked motorcycle was also set ablaze on fire and houses were looted. A few vehicles were also vandalized and the window panes of some houses were broken. According to a police officer, the violence started because of concerns that the homes of the Hindus were being listed in account records as Waqf properties.

Superintendent of Police Anshu Kumar and Haveri Deputy Commissioner Vijay Mahantesh rushed to the area and stabilized the situation. Senior officials are camped in the hamlet where tensions persist. According to Anshu Kumar, around 200 police officers and four Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) platoons have been dispatched to the area. Police will take action against those who break the law, he added, informing that 32 persons, mostly Hindus have been taken into custody for interrogation and further investigation. Things are under control but Hindus continue to live in apprehension of the Waqf.

Locals fear that their homes would be listed in the records as Waqf properties, which could result in their eviction. According to them, there has been resistance to updating the Waqf property accounts inside the village panchayat boundaries. They added that ZP CEO Akshay Sridhar issued an order on 27th September in response to Waqf minister BZ Zameer Ahmed’s directive from a 3rd September meeting.

Assistant commissioners and tahsildars have been instructed to “verify all property documents listed by the district waqf board and send a report to the office. This means not all these belong to the board,” said Deputy Commissioner Vijay Mahantesh. On the other hand, Zameer Ahmed is now on the back foot and is blaming the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He referred to the incident as sad and alleged that the saffron party had been deceiving farmers throughout the state and was planning a conspiracy involving waqf holdings.

Zameer Ahmed claimed that he too comes from a farmer’s family and respects their rights. He assured that Waqf wouldn’t take over any farmer’s land. On 4th October Waqf notices were delivered to farmers in Honwad village in Tikota taluk of Vijayapura district. All 1200 acres (1500 acres per some reports) of the land were claimed by the Waqf Board and the dispute is only growing more intense. Waqf has staked a claim on the land of the Haveri district court as well.

Meanwhile, Union Minister Pralhad Joshi stated that the Waqf is attempting to drive people out of their homes. “The Zilla Panchayat CEO of Haveri has passed an order to take over Hanuman Temple and Durgavva Temple. Yesterday Waqf Board members went there to take over the position and naturally people resisted. The police on arrival at the scene lodged an FIR (First Information Report) against the local Hindus who have resided there for over 60-70 years. They want to take over Hanuman Temple,” he highlighted.

The BJP also accused the Congress of promoting the occupation perpetrated by Waqf for Muslim appeasement. Haveri MP and former Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai have demanded that Waqf notices sent to farmers should be withdrawn immediately. According to him, the state’s waqf law is being applied wrongly, with agricultural areas being mistakenly designated as waqf properties while ignoring the current revenue laws.

He emphasized that when it comes to land matters, tax law records ought to be regarded as conclusive. “These records are being overlooked in favour of Waqf Tribunal decisions. While previous court interventions protected the affected parties’ rights, currently, a simple application can result in farmland being designated as waqf property, causing distress among farmers,” while talking to the media on 31st October in Shiggaon and even called the Congress government as “irresponsible.” He pointed out that tension in Savanur taluk villages like Kadakol is the result of the state government’s interference with the peaceful coexistence of rural communities. He charged that after taking power, the Congress party had engaged in appeasement measures.

Notably, in a similar instance, the Haveri District Waqf Board claimed ownership over the district’s 19-acre Hindu cemetery in Tadas village of Shiggaon taluk as well as the Haveri District Court buildings, which are situated on 20 acres of property. The new claim was made years after S Abdul Nazeer, a high court judge who also served as the administrative justice of the Haveri district court, intervened to settle the conflicts at the Waqf Tribunal in Belagavi.