Fear of Waqf taking over houses sets off violence in Karnataka village

Around 200 police personnel and four KSRP platoons have been rushed to Kadakol. The trouble started with rumours that most properties around a shrine in the village have been marked as Waqf assets

HAVERI: Tension gripped a village in Haveri district after scores of villagers, fearing their houses would be taken over by Waqf Board, attacked buildings and houses of a particular community, leaving five people injured on Wednesday night.
Police said the situation in Kadakol village of Savanur taluk is peaceful now. A person who received grievous injuries in the violence was taken to Hubballi’s KIMS for treatment. He is out of danger, a police officer said.
In the incident, miscreants allegedly threw stones and ransacked houses, besides destroying a parked motorcycle in the village.
Around 200 police personnel and four KSRP platoons have been rushed to the village, and police will initiate action against those who take law into their hands, said district superintendent of police Anshu Kumar, adding 32 people have been picked up for probe.
Waqf minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan accused BJP of hatching a conspiracy around Waqf properties and said the party has been misleading farmers. The incident in Kadakol village, which has never had any communal disturbance, is “very painful, and farmers need not panic as we will never acquire their land,” he said.
The trouble started with rumours that most properties around a shrine in the village have been marked as Waqf assets, and they would soon be acquired. However, deputy commissioner Vijay Mahantesh clarified that they have directed assistant commissioners and tahsildars 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 Waqf Board.”
Haveri MP and former CM Basavaraj Bommai urged state govt to immediately withdraw notices issued to farmers and “remove Waqf asset classification from land records”.
In a related development, Haveri District Waqf Board has claimed ownership of Haveri District Court premises, which sits on a 20-acre land, and 19-acre Hindu burial ground in Tadas village of Shiggaon taluk in the district.