CBI to probe Waqf scam: Former Chairman of Minorities in Karnataka | Exclusive

Last updated:Nov 6, 2024 4:37 PM IST

“CM Siddaramaiah should seek a CBI probe. If he is not willing, the Center should initiate a CBI probe,” said Anwar Manippady

Anwar Manippady had first filed a 7,000-page report on the alleged Wakf scam in 2012. (X)

Anwar Manippady, former chairman of the Karnataka State Minorities Commission, has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged corruption in the Karnataka Waqf Board of Directors, highlighting that powerful figures have robbed farmers and innocent Muslims of their rightful land.

“CM Siddaramaiah and the ruling Congress should seek a CBI probe. If he is unwilling, the central government should initiate a CBI probe. If Siddaramaiah or the Congress have nothing to hide, why not get this report investigated in the interest of the farmers of the state,” asked Manippady, who first exposed the alleged corruption.

According to Manippady, his report revealed a web of corruption amounting to nearly Rs 2.35 crore. He had first filed a 7,000-page report on the alleged scam in 2012. He said the misuse of Waqf land requires a thorough investigation, which can only be conducted by a central agency like the CBI.

The report was submitted in 2020 by the then Prime Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader BS Yediyurappa, but was later shelved. “The Waqf board exists to help the poor, but those within the Waqf board have looted the wealth meant for their community. If these properties had been managed properly and research had been done on time, corruption and poverty would not have been problems for Muslims in Karnataka. No Muslim would have been poor in Karnataka.”

VIJAYPURA ROW, BOMMAI CLIP, CONGRESS ATTACK

Manippady told News18 that Waqf properties have been diverted by powerful individuals within and outside the board, and only a CBI probe can unearth the scam. He said the visit of Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) Chairman for Amendment of Waqf Act, Jagadambika Pal, to Vijayapura to hear the grievances of the farmers will clear the air for the actual defaulters.

A row broke out when plots under the names of farmers were allegedly marked as Waqf property in Vijayapura. On October 10, a ‘Waqf adalat’ prompted the Vijayapura district administration to issue 124 notices on Waqf administration properties owned by 433 persons. Two taluks in Vijayapura district, Indi and Chadachan, recorded changes in land ownership documents, marking a “mutation” in their official documents.

This was highlighted by BJP MP Tejasvi Surya in the backdrop of the JPC hearings on the bill to change the powers of the Waqf Board, which also led to heated arguments between the Opposition and the ruling government at the Centre.

The Congress in Karnataka attacked the BJP’s agitation by pointing out that similar announcements were made during the party’s rule in the state. Siddaramaiah said that under the BJP rule in the state, notices were issued in 216 cases as part of the process to reclaim land owned by the Waqf Board.

An alleged video clip of BJP MP and former CM Basavaraj Bommai, shared by the CMO and also circulated on social media platforms, shows him describing Waqf land as “Khuda ki property (property of God)” at an event of the management.

“It is God’s work when you deal with the Waqf. If that is plundered, if anything goes wrong, and you turn a blind eye (for if the property is plundered), His eyes will be upon you, and you will be more guilty in the sight of God than those who plunder the land. he reportedly says in the clip, adding that more than Rs 2,000-crore Waqf properties have been registered in the names of private individuals.

The Congress has also pointed to a promise made by the BJP in its 2014 election manifesto to “strengthen Waqf boards in consultation with religious leaders; take steps to remove encroachment and unauthorized occupation of Waqf properties”.

The BJP quickly took up the issue, claiming that the Waqf board had issued notices about 1,200 hectares of land under cultivation by local farmers. BJP leader Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, known for his controversial statements, condemned the messages as oppressive and vowed to challenge them legally. He also sent a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling for nationalization of Waqf properties, which he alleged had been unlawfully seized from farmers, landowners, temples and trusts.

MANIPPADY EXPLAINS THE MUTAWALLI FACTOR

The modus operandi described by Manippady involves Mutawallis – the custodians or managers of Waqf properties. When a donor allocates land for Waqf purposes, they usually appoint a Mutawalli to manage it. This appointment often becomes hereditary, with family members passing the role down from generation to generation. Some Mutawallis manage the property themselves, while others appoint committees. But according to Manippady, these Waqf land managers allegedly exploited their role by colluding with government officials to sell properties – public assets meant to benefit the community – for their financial gain.

“These properties are not personal property. But what is happening is outright plunder. The same people who were tasked with preserving these lands have sold them. Therefore, it needs to be highlighted and properly investigated,” Manippady said.

When asked who the main attackers are and how the Waqf lands can be regained, Manippady said: “There are enough attackers. Many of them are well-known people or related parties. These people, or their associates, have bought or sold Waqf land, making huge profits.” He alleged that a deceased former Congress minister, Qamarul Islam, subdivided properties for sale of the Waqf.

Manippady has alleged that several politicians in Karnataka, including former union ministers like Rahman Khan and CM Ibrahim, MLAs like NA Haris, late Qamarul Islam and even current AICC chief Mallikarjun Kharge, were involved in this alleged misuse of Waqf lands. .

Manippady alleged that Waqf properties were written under the benami names of their relatives and they had earned crores from it. They even registered them under the names of relatives.

“For example, NA Haris has listed properties under the name of his wife and mother, and CM Ibrahim’s assets appear under the name of his wife,” he alleged.

He pointed out that Kharge had reportedly acquired a significant property in Kalaburgi, including a large shopping center with hundreds of apartments, adding: “It is all done through benami names.”

HIS PARTY’S DELAY, CONGRESS’S APPROACH

Then Prime Minister Sadananda Gowda had sent Manippady’s 2012 report to the Lokayukta for further investigation. However, little progress has been made since then, Manippady acknowledged.

The report was submitted only years later in 2020 under the then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. Asked about his party’s inaction after it came to power, Manippady said: “Yes, my party should have restarted the investigation. They missed an important opportunity to unmask the perpetrators. I don’t know why they didn’t work on it, maybe they didn’t see the importance of it.”

“There may be some cases where Hindu names appear on Waqf lands that have been sold illegally. There may be some names that belong to Hindu farmers which may have been accidentally brought up in the Waqf release. Some properties sold illegally were acquired in the name of a Hindu farmer. They should go back to the first newspaper, check it and see whether it is from Waqf or not,” Manippady said.

For example, of an 8-hectare plot in Bharatpur, 4 hectares can be sold illegally. In the next gazette notification, the property number will now be 129 (A) Bharatpur, which belongs to Waqf, and 129 (B) of the person to whom it was sold. It splits into separate names of the original and new owners, he explained.

The Waqf land dispute has been sparked by the Centre’s proposed changes in the Waqf land rules, which have received support from the Karnataka BJP. The party recently staged nationwide protests, with opposition leader R. Ashok describing the Vijayapura announcements as “land jihad” and demanding the resignation of Waqf Minister Khan.

With the upcoming bypolls in Karnataka and elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, Congress leaders including Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar have accused the BJP of exploiting the issue to gain political advantage.

Manippady responded by saying that “it is sad that Congress is seeing political opportunism at every step, instead of taking action”. “This is not a trivial issue. People have the right to know where the wealth is intended for the good of their own. If this corruption is not addressed, the cycle will continue and the poor will suffer,” he said.