Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Nov 27: The BJP-led government in Karnataka identified around 4,720 acres of Wakf properties under encroachment and marked them as "Wakf properties" in land records during the tenures of B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai as chief ministers (2019–2023). To prevent illegal sales, the property records were locked, and online records displayed them as "flagged off."

Under the BJP government, a legislative committee chaired by BJP MLA Kumar Bangarappa, focused on the welfare of backward classes and minorities, held several meetings to protect Wakf properties. The committee, which included legislators from all parties, found influential individuals, businessmen, and politicians had encroached upon Wakf properties. It recommended strict measures to clear the encroachments and safeguard the properties.

The committee noted that many Wakf properties were not labeled as such in land records, which increased the risk of misuse. It directed that these lands be recorded as Wakf properties in digital land management systems. Accordingly, notices were issued to identified encroachers, including farmers and landowners, and property records were locked using software like 'Bhoomi,' 'e-Swathu,' and 'e-Aasthi' managed by the revenue, panchayat raj, and urban development departments.

At the time of the committee’s first report in the legislative assembly, only a few property records had been locked. By September 22, 2020, the locked area covered 1,551 acres. This increased to 4,720 acres across 4,734 properties by September 2022.

The locked or flagged-off properties cannot be sold, gifted, transferred, mortgaged, or subjected to any other transactions. In response, several farmers and landowners approached the courts.

During the 2018-19 fiscal year, the JD(S)-Congress coalition government under H D Kumaraswamy allocated Rs 3.17 crore for Wakf property protection. This amount was increased to Rs 30.40 crore during Yediyurappa’s tenure.

In 2020-21, the BJP government further allocated Rs 10.43 crore, bringing the total to Rs 40.83 crore over two financial years. These funds were used for record updates, surveys, fencing, encroachment clearance, and legal proceedings related to Wakf properties, according to the committee's report.