Syro-Malabar Sabha Thrissur Archdiocese Auxiliary Metropolitan, Mar Tony Neelankavil, has termed the Waqf Board’s actions as a “Black Rule” and described them as deeply alarming. Addressing a protest rally organized by the Palayoor Forane in Chavakkad, Thrissur, on November 17, the Metropolitan declared the Church’s firm resolve to oppose such moves.
He criticized the Waqf Board for issuing eviction notices to nearly 50 families in what he called a blatant attempt to grab land illegitimately. The church, he asserted, would stand unwaveringly with the affected families in their fight to safeguard their rights and land and will continue to fight it with tooth and nail.
Thousands of Christians from various parishes under the Archdiocese participated in the protest march and rally. The Waqf Board has issued notices to nearly 50 households in Palayoor, South Palayoor, Chakkamkandam, Edappulli, and Pancharamukku. The current occupants have resided there for several decades.
A resolution passed at the rally criticised ministers, MLAs, and the district collector for ignoring the memorandums submitted by the affected families. The lack of response was described as a blatant denial of justice.
Meanwhile, the Muslims of the AP faction of the Samastha Kerala Jem-Iyyathul Ulama has asserted that Munambam is Waqf land and must be “recovered.” They argued that Waqf properties are communal assets. O.M. Taruvana, a writer and Kanthapuram faction leader, stated in an article in an Islamic newspaper that Waqf properties cannot be sold or purchased under either civil or Islamic law. This claim has exacerbated anxieties among the poor fishermen of Munambam, who are already protesting to protect their livelihoods.
If Islamic organisations maintain such an uncompromising stance, the state government’s efforts to resolve the Munambam issue are likely to fail. The government appears constrained, as both the ruling CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) compete to appease minority vote banks.
