KOLKATA: At a time when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has voiced her opposition to the Waqf Amendment Act and the minority-dominated parts of West Bengal are seeing violent protests, an intelligence report to the Home Ministry has flagged cases of encroachment of Waqf property by Trinamool Congress leaders.
Mamata Banerjee, speaking after the Wakf Amendment Bill received the President’s assent and became law, had voiced her opposition to the Act. “I know that you are pained by the Waqf property issue. Please remember, Didi will protect you and your property,” Banerjee said. She accused the Centre of trying to divide the nation through “jumla” politics.
On Thursday, the leader of Jamiat-e-Ulema and state minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury addressed a massive rally which paralysed large parts of Kolkata for hours.
In his speech, Siddiqullah Chowdhury said that he had received a phone call from the CM’s office, conveying Mamata Banerjee’s “happiness” at the protests and assuring that the Waqf Amendment Act won’t be implemented in West Bengal. He urged the protesters to continue with the movement till the Centre withdrew it.
The Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind vowed to send a resolution against the Waqf law signed by 1 crore people to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Jamiat also announced a crowd-funding campaign to fight the legal battle against the Waqf law. The Supreme Court is set to hear a clutch of petitions this week.
Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to hold a meeting with imams and other clerics in Kolkata on 16 April, the day the top court has agreed to hear a batch of petitions against the Waqf Act.
Muslims constitute around 30% of the population in Bengal and have been a major vote bank of the Trinamool Congress. Elections are due in the state next year.
Meanwhile, following the widespread violence since Wednesday, the BSF, supposed to keep vigil on the international
Mobs of mostly youngsters set fire to shops, police jeeps and private vehicles in many areas of the district. They pelted stones at the police and blocked the highway and train lines. The police, instead of confronting the protesters, ran and hid in Muslim owned shops.
On Friday, thousands of students of Kolkata’s Aliah University staged huge protests and took out a march against the Waqf Act, with Bengal minister and city mayor Firhad Hakim saying that the BJP was trying to divide the state on religious lines, but its plans would not bear fruit.
“We have no problem in Bengal because our Chief Minister’s name is Mamata Banerjee. Bengal is the only place of harmony for all religions. With the bill, the Central government has tried to create religious division, but it will not be effective here in Bengal,” Hakim said.
Interestingly, Firhad Hakim is one of the prominent names in the intelligence report sent to Home Minister Amit Shah on the encroachment and misuse of Waqf properties in the state.
The detailed report sent to Amit Shah’s ministry on the encroachment of Waqf properties in the state names at least four Trinamool leaders, allegedly including Hakim, a sitting MP, and a councillor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. It also names an MLA who passed away a few weeks ago. The report lists encroachment of Waqf properties for personal gain and illegal transfer.
Waqf property donated by Nawab Wajid Ali Shah in Metiaburj has allegedly been “forcibly occupied” and illegally leased to a hospital trust whose chairman is Firhad Hakim.
Among those against whom the intelligence report has alleged charges of forcible encroachment of Waqf property, two are current board members. The first is Nasiruddin Ahmed. He was the MLA from Kaliganj in Nadia. He passed away last February. The report says that he had “forcibly encroached” on a 3,000-square feet flat in Sahibullah Waqf Estate in Krishnanagar.
The other member of the Waqf Board whose name has been reported is alleged to be Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque. The intelligence report has written that he had encroached on 22 kathas of Waqf land at 10/8, Talbagan Road in south Kolkata.
After this, the report names Kolkata mayor and state minister Firhad and Trinamool councillor of ward number 64 of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Shammi Jahan. The report sent to the Union Home Ministry states: “It is learnt that Firhad Hakim has encroached on more than 5 bighas of land out of the 35 bighas of land of Johura Bibi Waqf Estate extending from Mahabirtala Mosque to Alipore. He is also running a marble stone showroom there jointly with his wife.”
Trinamool councillor Shammi Jahan has “encroached on land in Tipu Sultan Gorasthan on Hazra Road”. However, the report does not mention how much land she has encroached on or what use she is making of that land.
Firhad Hakim, however, is denying the charges against him. The mayor said: “These are completely baseless allegations. The so-called agency will not be able to show any evidence to support these allegations.” The mayor also claimed that there was a “political motive” behind the preparation of the report.
Like Firhad Hakim, Ward 64 councillor Shammi has also denied the allegations. She said: “I don’t even know that any such report has been prepared. I am not from the Waqf Board. I don’t even know where the Waqf property is. It is far from being a forcible occupation. I don’t understand who gave all these reports in my name for what purpose.”
Nadimul Haque said that his family were tenants on that land. He said: “My father rented that place in 1972. That was more than 50 years ago. Since then, we have been staying there as tenants. Our newspaper printing house is also there. However, the size of the land is not 22 kathas, it is 10 kathas.” He further said, “Is it illegal to be a tenant? If it is illegal, then everything that is rented should be considered illegal.”
The intelligence report also states that a close Hakim associate, Afaquzzaman, was illegally appointed as a Waqf Board member. It also alleges that Afaquzzaman is currently the “most influential member” of the Waqf Board.
The report states that Afaquzzaman does not have any family Waqf estate in his name. Despite this, he was elected by the Mutawalli (custodians of various Waqf properties) and sent to the board, which is illegal.
The Central agency report alleges that Afaquzzaman has “illegally” controlled the Waqf estate, for which he was shown as a representative and made eligible to be elected as a member of the Board.
The report also contains information about three complaints filed with the police during the Left era. The report states: “On March 30, 2006, the then CEO of the West Bengal Waqf Board, GH Obaidur Rahman, informed the OC of New Alipore police station in writing that a promoter named Ajay Narayan Ghosh and Firhad Hakim were carrying out illegal construction on the land of Zohra Begum Waqf Estate at 32-A Tollygunge Circular Road.” The CEO asked the police to stop the construction.
Later, on March 18, 2008, the then CEO of the state Waqf Board, Arfan Ali Biswas, again wrote to the OC of New Alipore police station asking them to stop the illegal construction being carried out by Ajay Narayan Ghosh and Firhad Hakim at the site on Somnath Lahiri Sarani, Tollygunge Circular Road, Kolkata.
The report states that on May 15, 2009, a Joint Secretary-level officer of the West Bengal Government wrote a similar letter to the New Alipore police station asking it to stop the illegal construction at the Zohra Begum Waqf Estate. The agency report states: “Despite writing so many letters, no FIR was filed against Ajay Narayan Ghosh or Firhad Hakim. Illegal construction was going on over 28 bighas of land. It stopped for a few days. In 2011, when the Trinamool Congress came to power, the work started again.”