Editor,
In the storm of politics, if nothing else, peace has become the first casualty of the Waqf Board Amendment Bill. It doesn’t take an expert to figure out why Waqf property has become so desirable to many people over the years. Frankly and tragically, many of the powerful and wealthy have long treated Waqf property as a personal treasure chest rather than a sacred trust. Sadly, such great facts are seldom talked about.
Waqf property, rooted in Islamic tradition, was donated by the benevolent to serve humanity — to uplift the underprivileged, fund their education, support religious institutions, and offer relief to the needy. But over time, that noble purpose has been clouded by narrow political agendas and personal ambition. Successive amendments, largely driven by political motives, have done nothing to restore the original “sanctity” of the Waqf Board. Instead, they’ve often strengthened the very structures that offer leverage for “exploitation”. Of course, the creation of the Waqf Board was a sacred initiative to ensure that these lands were properly “managed, regulated, and used” in line with Islamic values. But somewhere between intent and implementation, ethics were sidelined, and greed took the wheel!
Today, Waqf land holdings have ballooned into lakhs of acres. Rather than being a blessing, they’ve become a battleground for corruption, encroachment, exploitation, and much more. Illegal encroachments, unauthorized leases, and glaring misuse of property for personal gain have eroded public trust and stripped away the moral essence of what Waqf stands for.
Even the highly learned Governor of Bihar, Arif Mohammad Khan, couldn’t help but point out the administrative mess within the board. He warned that if the amendment bill hadn’t been introduced now, we might have been staring at an even bigger disaster. Quoting the holy book, he reiterated that Waqf property should be used for religious, charitable, and welfare activities for the weaker sections of society—but instead, it has been unethically diverted for various unholy purposes. He cited many such examples to the media reporters.
Many top Islamic organizations are equally unhappy with the functioning of Waqf Boards, as they have been hijacked by political leaders, unscrupulous members and land mafias. Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi, National President of the All India Muslim Jamaat, laments: “Earlier, whoever was at the top of the Board used to collaborate with the land mafias and illegally sell the properties to them. This was totally against the sole purpose of the board. The purpose was to benefit those in need — poor Muslims, widows, etc. Instead, the proceeds went into the pockets of those illegally selling the properties.”
Worse still, in states like Bihar, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, ordinary farmers, many from non-Muslim communities, have found their lands suddenly labelled as Waqf property. For countless impoverished farming families across the nation, it’s been nothing short of a nightmare. Just imagine how would a person feel if land purchased with his/her hard-earned money were suddenly claimed by third parties as Waqf property. Wouldn’t that bring them to a suicidal state? Surely, causing agony and trauma to the poor is not what pleases the Almighty in heaven. In Ernakulam district alone, around 600 poor Christian families are now crying out for justice after discovering that their ancestral land has been claimed under the Waqf Board.
As responsible citizens of a democratic country, we must be unbiased and humane in our reflection. When a sacred trust becomes a political tool in the hands of unscrupulous leaders, who truly suffers? It is undoubtedly the weaker sections of society. What is happening in Murshidabad, Malda, Nadia… clearly sends chills down the spine. Let me ask — did the three people killed in the riot ever utter a word against the Waqf Board? Why were the administrative authorities so unprepared or so lenient toward the likely rioters?
Properties belonging to poor Bengali families have been deliberately torched and destroyed, along with widespread destruction of government infrastructure. Those rioters appeared to have no fear of the police baton. Why? Now, thousands of terrified people are fleeing Dhuliyan (Murshidabad), out of fear for their lives in the wake of rising unrest.
Please allow me to speak the truth. Given her past record, for West Bengal Chief Minister, any amount of bloodshed seems less frightening than losing her vote bank. Her proverbial soft stance toward those who vote for her has contributed to the Basirhat riot and Malda riot. The Bengal Chief Minister has never felt guilty, nor has she learned a lesson from the shocking rape incidents in Sandeshkhali and at R.G. Kar Medical College, victimizing countless innocent people, especially women, in the process.
If law and order had not been compromised by the government in West Bengal, such abominable incidents might never have come to pass. What is unfortunate now is that Mamata, along with other leaders, is roaring to bake a political cake in the heat of the Waqf Board controversy and similar issues. They seem far more concerned with consolidating power than upholding democratic principles and serving the public without discrimination. One wonders why the custodians of the Constitution appear so powerless to restrain leaders whose moral failings drag democracy to the edge leaving the poor to suffer in silence.
Yours etc.,
Salil Gewali
Via email
Language bridges the chasm
Editor,
The write up by Bhogtoram Mawroh captioned: Language as a bridge: Healing the Divides in Meghalaya (ST April 15, 2025) was very educative. Language is our introduction to the outside world and makes our community and cultures known to others. No language is superior or inferior but it could sometimes happen that we are in a region of India where we don’t understand the local language. India is country of many languages spoken in different regions.Being a multi-linguistic country, sometimes problems arise in some parts of our country owing to language barriers especially in offices and banks. Widely spoken languages like Hindi,English and regional languages are mostly used in public sectors. Still inconvenience comes to fore when somebody has to face an official who is non-conversant in Hindi or English.How nice it is to learn that a Nepali man in Khasi Hills composes poems in Khasi despite being berated by his wife. Of course, many non-tribals in Meghalaya are able to speak the local language very fluently.I like to cite the fact that in Tura people can speak at least five languages namely English, Hindi, Bengali, Assamese and their own mother tongue.Being conversant in many languages makes it easy to navigate around people and to transact business.
Language learning can be pursued as a career too in today’s day and age.
Yours etc.,
Deepak Chhetry,
Tura.