'Recover 29,000 acres of registered Waqf Board land encroached upon in Karnataka'

'My report is just the tip of an iceberg. If they investigate property, many will end up in jail', former chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Commission Anwar Manippady said.

Mangaluru: Former chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Commission Anwar Manippady urged the government to recover the encroached 29,000 acres of registered Waqf Board properties.

“As per my report there are 54,000 acres of registered land in the Waqf Board. Around 29,000 acres ((valued at 2.30 lakh crore in 2012) of registered land has been embezzled. Commercial complexes, medical colleges have come up on the encroached land. Several leaders have encroached the land. My report is just the tip of an iceberg. If they investigate property, many will end up in jail,” he said during a joint press meet with Sri Rama Sene founder President Pramod Muthalik in Mangaluru.

“When the Waqf Board has 54,000 acre registered land, how did farmers receive notice of encroachments, he sought to know and said: “If the old gazette notifications are verified thoroughly, then the government will get a clear cut idea on farmers and Waqf board properties. Let there be an investigation into my report,” he said.

To a query on BJP failing to implement the report when in power in the state, he said, “They missed an opportunity to help the minorities and punish the encroachers.”

To a query on whether he will agree to the 44 amendments which the central government is intended to bring in to Waqf Act, he said “to a certain extent I agree to it."

He said Union Minister Kiran Rijiju has promised to get his report investigated and implemented.

Muthalik too backed Manippady’s report and said “if the Waqf land is encroached, then they should be punished. The politicians show will power to implement the report of Manippady.”

"Acres of land have been declared as waqf properties in the recent past. The mutt heads should raise their voice against it. There is a need to support amendments being brought in by the central government."

The Sri Rama Sene has launched a helpline to help those people whose land has been declared as Waqf properties. The helpline will function round the clock. "We have a team of five advocates each in Bengaluru, Kalburgi and Dharwad to fight the case of the waqf victims."

He alleged that the government has handed over land to 328 'kabristan' (graveyards) , which is also illegal.