Hindu Farmers in Tamil Nadu Village Have Properties Seized by Waqf Board

A Tamil Nadu village in Ranipet district near Vellore had Hindu farmers’ properties seized by the Waqf Board, who claimed them as theirs. 50+ acres of agricultural land were taken by the district administration from the Hindu farmers despite their ownership being proven in court. A video of Hindus protesting the seizure went viral, with Hindu activists and BJP leader H Raja bringing attention to the issue on social media. Raja claims that Waqf, who have doubled their properties to over 8 lakh acres, scamming the ownership and the DMK rule being like the “Malik Kafur rule.” Raja received nearly 1 lakh complaints on his Twitter account and promised BJP’s support to fight the issue in court if necessary. The Waqf Board also claimed 7 villages in Trichy district, including a 1500-year-old Hindu temple, as their property, despite the villagers having documents proving their ownership. The concept of Waqf in Islamic law dictates that once a land becomes Waqf, it can never revert back to non-Muslims. It may be time to revise the Waqf Board Act to prevent land jihad.