Demography is changing in Devbhoomi of Uttarakhand. The properties of Waqf Board have also increased unexpectedly along with the Muslim population. This is proof that the growing Muslim population in the State is going to create political and social problems in the future. These are only the figures provided by the Waqf Board. Apart from these, there are hundreds of properties that have been built by occupying Government land that are not mentioned in the Waqf Board. These include mosques, madrasas and mausoleums.
More than 5,000 properties of Waqf Board have been identified in the Sanatan area of Devbhoomi Uttarakhand. The Uttarakhand Waqf Board has sent details of 5,183 properties in the State to the Central Waqf Board. Apart from this, it is also being said that cases of 205 properties are pending in the local court.
Locations of Waqf Board’s Properties
As per reports, there are more graveyards than mosques in the property list of the Waqf Board.
In the hilly districts, information about one mosque in Chamoli, one in Rudraprayag, four in Tehri, ten in Pauri, one in Uttarkashi, three in Bageshwar, six in Champawat, six in Almora and three in Pithoragarh has come to the fore. Furthermore, there are more graveyards than mosques.
Forty eight mosques in Nainital district, 144 in Udham Singh Nagar, 322 in Haridwar district and 155 in Dehradun district highlight the fact that Waqf Board has spread deep into the State. Information about Waqf Board’s Auqaf (donated) properties is also coming to light in remote hilly districts. As per reports, there are 2,105 Auqaf in Uttarakhand, of which Waqf Board has its claim on 46 properties in Almora district, 11 in Pithoragarh district and 26 in Pauri. Maximum properties being 865 in Haridwar, 499 in Udham Singh Nagar and 435 in Dehradun.
In the entire Devbhoomi, graveyards have been built at 773 places, while 704 mosques are said to be under Waqf Board. There is news of the same number of mosques being outside the list of Waqf Board in Uttarakhand.
Information is being brought forth that there are 100 madrasas in the Waqf Board, whereas more than 400 madrasas are registered in the list of the Madrasa Board.
Information has been unearthed about more than 201 mazars listed in the Waqf Board within the State. It is said that now Namaaz is also being offered here. These have gradually taken the form of madrasas and then mosques.
The properties of Waqf Board include 12 schools and as many rest houses in the entire State. The list also includes 1,024 houses and 1711 shops. There are 70 Eid Gahs, 32 Imambaras, 112 agricultural land plots and 253 other properties.
It is also believed that many properties of the Waqf Board are occupied by influential and land mafia elements. There are also reports that when the Uttarakhand Waqf Board was established in 2003, the number of properties of the Waqf Board was said to be around 2078.
Of these, files of 450 properties have not been given by UP to Uttarakhand Waqf Board yet and this issue has reached the Central Government in the form of a dispute. It is believed that in the last 20 years in Uttarakhand, the number of properties of Waqf Board has more than doubled. This proves that there has been an overwhelming increase in the Muslim population in the State. Right now these figures are registered in the Waqf Board. In fact, there are a large number of Muslim religious places, madrasas which are not registered in the Waqf Board and they have been built by encroaching or illegally occupying Government lands. There is also doubt about the properties of Waqf Board whether they are actually their property or the property of Uttarakhand Government.
However, the rapid increase in Waqf properties in Uttarakhand is also a matter of concern. There is an ongoing debate in the State about demographic change and the increasing figures of Waqf properties also indicate that there is a conspiracy to Islamise the Devbhoomi.
