Bidar fort, Gol Gumbaz, and more: Waqf claims 53 ASI sites in Karnataka

After farmers' land in the Vijayapura district, the Waqf Board has claimed ownership over 53 historical monuments in Karnataka. Among the monuments that have been claimed are Gol Gumbaz, Ibrahim Rauza, Bara Kaman in Vijayapura, and forts in Bidar and Kalaburagi, Deccan Herald reported on Saturday.

This claim includes 43 monuments in Vijayapura, once the capital of the Adil Shahi dynasty, which the Waqf Board designated as Waqf properties in 2005. Many of these sites have reportedly suffered encroachments and unauthorised modifications over time.

These monuments were designated as Waqf properties through Record of Rights (ROR) or Property Register (PR) cards without consulting the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), DH reported citing RTI response.

ASI holds jurisdiction over these monuments, which are classified as centrally protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Remains (AMASR) Act of 1958. The law grants ASI sole authority over the maintenance, renovation, and conservation of such sites, with officials affirming that ASI properties cannot be transferred or denotified under current regulations.

According to records, the 2005 declaration was made by Mohammad Mohsin, then Health and Family Welfare Department Principal Secretary and Waqf Board chair in Vijayapura. 

Additional claims by the Waqf Board include six monuments in the Hampi ASI circle and four in Bengaluru, along with the Masjid-i-Ala in Srirangapatna. All 43 sites in Vijayapura have been either encroached upon, defaced, or altered by third parties, the report said citing sources. The Mulla Mosque and Yakub Dabuli's Mosque and tomb, for instance, have reportedly been converted into a madrasa. 

Other modifications include plaster and cement repairs, installations of fans, air conditioning units, and fluorescent lights, and the construction of toilets and shops. Such unauthorised changes, officials report, have impacted tourism to the historic sites, which represent Indo-Islamic architecture, and were proposed for UNESCO World Heritage Site nomination.

Repeated directives from the Union Ministry of Culture, beginning in 2007, have urged local authorities, including the Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner, Minorities Welfare Department, and Karnataka Chief Secretary, to clear these encroachments. However, ASI officials report that neither the Deputy Commissioner’s office nor the Waqf Board has submitted documentary evidence substantiating Waqf ownership claims, despite a joint survey conducted in 2012.

BJP's IT cell head Amit Malviya blasted the Congress government, calling it a "loot and land grab by the Waqf Board". He alleged that the Congress government and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah were out to sell Karnataka for Muslim votes. "Save Karnataka before the entire State is claimed as a Waqf property."

Last month, farmers from the Vijayapura district said that their 1500 acres of land were claimed by the Waqf Board. Farmers said they had received notices, asking them to vacate the land. Facing protests, the state government assured them that they won't have to vacate the land and that the department would review the matter.