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The registration of the disputed 404 acres Waqf land in Munambam has threatened a fresh headache for the newly-sworn-in UDF government headed by Chief Minister VD Satheesan, which had promised to solve it “within 10 minutes” after it came to power. The details of the Munambam land along with several other Waqf properties were uploaded on the Union government's Umeed portal on May 16 by the Kerala Waqf Board, two days before the new UDF government was sworn into power, according to reports.
Residents protesting the Munambam land dispute have intensified their demand for the dissolution of the Kerala Waqf Board, alleging that the decision would adversely affect them. The Union government’s Umeed portal is the national database for waqf properties, and as per Section 3B of the Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development Act, 1995, all existing details are to be uploaded in the portal.
According to reports the details were entered by the board as the managing committee of Farook College, Kozhikode, and the mutawalli (trustee) of the Munambam property were against the step.
Satheesan has alleged that the Waqf Board's decision to upload details of the disputed land on the UMEED portal was politically motivated. Addressing reporters after the Cabinet meeting in Kochi on Monday, Satheesan strongly criticised the previous Left government.
“The earlier government created a situation that turned two religious communities against each other. They knowingly left behind a complicated issue,” Satheesan said. Satheesan assured Munambam residents that the state government would not evict families living on the disputed land and would take all legal steps to protect their rights. “Nobody will be thrown out of their homes,” he assured.
Satheesan also alleged that the move was made to prevent a quick administrative solution. “It was done to ensure that a decision could not be taken in ten minutes,” he said.
He accused the Sangh Parivar of attempting to use the issue to create communal divisions in the coastal region. He also accused the CPI(M) exploitIng a politically sensitive matter for gains.
Kerala Waqf Board chairman KS Hamsa defended the board’s actions, saying what they did was “completely legal,” media reports said. Hamsa said the details of disputed land were uploaded to the Union government’s UMEED portal on May 16 as the registration deadline was May 17.
Hamsa also rejected Chief Minister Satheesan’s claim that the issue had created tensions between two communities. He said the dispute had existed for years and dismissed the Chief Minister’s remark that it could be resolved in “10 minutes” as emotional. Reiterating that the land belonged to the Waqf, Hamsa added that a change in government would not affect his tenure as Waqf Board chairman.
The Munambam Land Protection Council is set to submit a memorandum to Chief Minister V D Satheesan on May 27 seeking the dismissal of the Kerala Waqf Board over what it called “incomplete and erroneous decisions” linked to the dispute.
Joseph Benny, convener of the Munambam Land Protection Council, told TNM that residents remain hopeful despite the latest development. “We have good hope. We believe the present Waqf Board will be suspended soon,” he said.
According to Benny, the property details were uploaded to the UMEED portal following a Kerala Waqf Board meeting held on April 26. The disputed Munambam land had earlier been included in the waqf register in 2019 as entry number 41.
Benny said the deadline for uploading the property details, initially fixed as May 17, has been extended by one month.
The Munambam land dispute has remained a contentious issue in Kerala, with residents demanding permanent protection of their land rights even as legal questions surrounding the Waqf Board’s claims continue to trigger political and communal debate.