In Tamil Nadu, Waqf board claims ownership of an entire village. There’s a temple too
Thiruchenthurai is a village located on the Cauvery river's bank in Tiruchirapalli district. It also has a 1,500-year-old Sundareswarar Temple with villagers now wondering how the Waqf would claim ownership of this property as well.
The Waqf board in Tamil Nadu has recently claimed ownership of an entire village taking the villagers by shock. The locals of Thiruchendurai were taken aback when they came to know that their whole hamlet had been declared the property of the state Waqf board.
Thiruchenthurai is a village located on the Cauvery river's bank in Tiruchirapalli district. It also has a 1,500-year-old Sundareswarar Temple with villagers now wondering how the Waqf would claim ownership of this property as well.
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The villagers were in for a shock when a local attempted to sell his agricultural land. The man, Rajagopal, was informed by the local authorities that his 1.2-acre plot of property belonged to the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board and that in order to sell it, he needed to get a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the board, according to a report by India Today.
The sub-office registrar also reportedly gave him a 20-page document claiming ownership of the land from the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board. Puzzled by this information concerning his own land, Rajagopal looked through his property paperwork but found no such claims.
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Villagers who could not initially believe the claims soon after formed a queue outside the district administration's headquarters. There was no evidence regarding Muslims residing in the area, and papers proved that resettlement took place in 1927-1928. There was also no information about Muslims holding property in the area, the report further said.
However, the Waqf Board has written a 20-page letter to 12 registration offices in Trichy, claiming property in numerous districts.
An official said that all of the lands in Thiruchendurai village belong to the Waqf Board, and anyone wishing to sell it must obtain a NOC from the board in Chennai.