300 acres of farmland in Latur village claimed as Waqf property

The dispute arose in May, when the Waqf Tribunal of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar issued notices to 103 farmers in Talegaon village in Latur district of Marathwada

MUMBAI: Controversy has erupted over 300 acres of farmland in a Marathwada village, with more than a hundred farmers contesting a claim before a Waqf Tribunal that the land is Waqf property granted for a local dargah.

The dispute has taken a political hue, with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray urging the state government to “give justice to the farmers”. Representative Image.. REUTERS/Punit Paranjpe/File Photo (REUTERS)

The dispute arose in May, when the Waqf Tribunal of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar issued notices to 103 farmers in Talegaon village in Latur district of Marathwada. The farmers claim the land has been in the possession of their families for more than three generations, since the rule of the Nizam of Hyderabad.

The dispute has taken a political hue, with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray urging the state government to “give justice to the farmers”. Thackeray has also declared his support to proposed amendments to the the Waqf Act, 1995, which has triggered a nationwide row. The amendments, if they go though, would give the state government control over Waqf properties, with a section of the people and political parties questioning the state’s prerogative to adjudicate over what is essentially a religious matter, as Waqf land is property donated for charitable purpose in the Muslim community.

Awale said that during the last two hearings, farmers have produced documents to show that the land had been purchased by their families during the Nizam era, around 100 years ago. They have proof that the names have been recorded in the Hyderabad Gazette, he said. He also pointed out that the complainant has not submitted proof regarding demarcation and measurement relating to the land, to show that 300 acres is part of the Waqf property given for the dargah. He added that that during the Nizam era, most the documents were written in either Urdu or the Modi script, and the process of translation has been started.

Tukaram Kanvate, a farmer from Talegaon, said his family owns six acres of the land in question. He said the farmers didn’t know what to make of it when they started receiving notices in June – 103 of them. He said they were afraid the entire village would lose their farmland and demanded that the state should look into the matter.

“When we started receiving the notices, we were taken aback, so we reached out to legal experts. They told us we may lose the land of we failed to submit evidence of ownership. So we are fighting this baseless claim together,” said Kanvate.

Waqf Board CEO Junaid Sayyad clarified that the board has not issued any notices to the farmers in Talegaon village. Rather, they had been issued by the tribunal. He claimed that posts on social media have caused confusion. “A person named Irfan Patel has filed Waqf Suit No 17/2024 in the Waqf Tribunal regarding declaration of the property as Waqf, and has named 103 farmers as defendants. Social media has published incorrect information, without listening to what the Waqf Board has to say. This has created confusion. The Wakf board has nothing to do with this matter,” said Junaid Sayyad.

The next hearing before the tribunal is scheduled for December 20.

Meanwhile, MNS chief Raj Thackeray has expressed concern over the Talegaon dispute, while supporting the proposed amendments to the Waqf Board Act. In a post on social media platform, X, Thackeray said, “The news from Talegaon village in Ahmedpur taluka of Latur district is shocking. Out of the total agricultural land in the village, nearly 75% of the agricultural land has been claimed by the Waqf Board, putting the livelihood of 103 farmers at risk. Even if the state government has said that we will not allow injustice to any farmer, this is not enough. The question is not about this land, how is the Waqf Board going to put a lid on the terror that it has been instilling on the people for many years due to its arbitrary management?”