Amidst the ongoing row over the ownership of Idgah Maidan, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Tuesday sent a letter to the Karnataka State Board of Wakfs to provide ownership documents. A three-day deadline has been given to the board to provide the documents for the 2 acre 10 gunta land.
The letter comes after the BBMP ordered that status quo should be maintained on the property until a report is submitted by the legal cell of the civic body.
Speaking to The Hindu, S.M. Srinivasa, Joint Commissioner (West Zone), BBMP, said “There is some confusion now and they are claiming that it is their land. That is why we have sent them [the Wakf Board] a notice asking them to submit proof of ownership to us within three days”.
A few days ago, when some right-wing outfits had demanded clarification about the ownership of the Idgah Maidan, the BBMP said that the ground was a playground owned by the civic body, where prayer gatherings could happen twice a month.
It was also said that the ground could be used for other activities. However, Muslim organisations, both the Wakf Board and the Central Muslim Association (CMA), had said that the land is a gazetted wakf property held by the CMA.
Some right-wing outfits in the city are now arguing that the national flag should be hoisted there on Independence Day. Apart from that, there has also been a demand to host the International Yoga Day on June 21 and the Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav function on August 14 and 15 at the disputed land.
It has also been reported that some organisations might go down the legal route to get permission to hoist the flag, at least on Independence Day.
Although BBMP officials clarified that a letter was sent out on Tuesday, the Wakf Board officials reported that they had not received it until the end of the day (8.30 p.m.). “So far, no letters have come to our office. We will check if we receive something on Wednesday and then speak about the course of action,” said Shafi Saadi, chairperson, Wakf Board.
