Karnataka Waqf row: Stone pelting reported from Haveri district, 15 detained

Bengaluru: The Waqf row took a violent turn in Karnataka with stone pelting on residences of Muslim leaders by those fearing taking over of their property by the Waqf Board reported from the state’s Haveri district, leaving five people injured, officials said on Thursday.

The incident had taken place on Wednesday night at Kadakola village. A mob pelted stones at local leader Mohammad Rafi and damaged his bike. Many other leaders belonging to minority communities were also being targeted.

Deputy Commissioner Vijay Mahantesh, SP Anshu Kumar Srivastava and others rushed to the spot to monitor the situation. The police have identified and detained those who indulged in stone pelting. They also spoke to villagers and also found out those who provoked the people, police sources said. The SP said that stone pelting was reported and five persons were injured in the incident. No one is coming forward to file the case and the police are taking up suo moto cases in connection with the incident.

Police have detained 15 persons in connection with the incident and have taken additional security measures to ensure that no untoward incident takes place.

Four platoons of the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and more than 200 policemen were deployed in the village. Police also carried out a route march.

Mahantesh said that there was confusion regarding the ‘Garadi mane’ (traditional village gym centre) property. Some local people read about the matter in newspapers, feared that this property would be marked as the Waqf property, and subsequently resorted to stone pelting. The Waqf Board is the owner of three properties in the village. No notice was issued from the district authorities and as per the list available, the letter was written for further action. The people feared that their properties would be mentioned as the Waqf property and indulged in violence, he said, adding that the situation is under control.

Meanwhile, it was claimed that 2.13 acres of Basavaprabhu Jolle, son of former Waqf Minister and BJP MLA Shashikala Jolle, at Yaksamba village in Chikodi taluk of Belagavi district has been now mentioned as Waqf property in land records. The property is inherited and owned for generations. It has come to light that the land records were changed in 2021, when Jolle was the Minister.

Social activist Krishnappa Neelakhantappa Mudni said on Thursday that he had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that properties of many in his native Uppina Betageri village were allegedly listed under the Wakf property to draw his attention to the issue. The letter was sent on November 28, 2023, and it reached the PMO office on December 2, 2023, he said, adding that he had got a call from the PMO on December 8, 2023, assuring him that the issue would be brought to the notice of the Prime Minister.

IANS