Mangaluru : President of Dakshina Kannada District Congress minority cell Shahul Hameed has called upon the State government to reclaim all waqf properties in Karnataka that have been encroached upon.

“Whether the wrongdoers are from our party or others, action should be taken against all. Waqf properties that have been encroached upon should be reclaimed and used for the welfare of Muslims,” he told reporters in Mangaluru on Thursday.

Mr. Hameed said of the nearly 1.1 lakh acres of properties notified as waqf, only 23,000 acres have remained as waqf, while the remaining have been illegally encroached upon in Karnataka.

The government should not stop the process of reclaiming the waqf land. There is nothing wrong on the part of the government in issuing notices in Vijayapura and other parts of the State. Similar notices should be issued in Dakshina Kannada district, where waqf properties too have been illegally encroached upon, he said.

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson and MLC Ivan D’Souza said the BJP should not mock Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for appearing before the Lokayukta police in Mysuru. Mr. D’Souza claimed Mr. Siddaramaiah has not done anything wrong and hence he is boldly facing the inquiry.

Mr. D’Souza said Mr. Siddaramaiah noticed a mistake in the issuance of notices to people associated with land notified as waqf. Hence he ordered retraction of notices and asked officials to suitably correct land records, he said.