Mangalore : N.B. Aboobakkar, the former Chairman of Karnataka State Minorities Development Corporation and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, has demanded a probe into the alleged irregularities and encroachment of waqf properties in the State.

Speaking in a pressmeet here on Wednesday, Mr. Aboobakkar said 1.2 lakh acres of land was under the Waqf Board in the State, but only 19,846 acres was found registered as per the Waqf Act, 1995. This raised a question on what had happened to the remaining land. While some of the land was illegally sold by vested interests, others had been encroached upon, he said.

As per a report submitted by the Joint Legislature Committee, there were about 30,000 waqf institutions in the State, which owned 19,846 acres of land. There were 189 cases of encroachments on this land.

The State government should immediately take measures to protect waqf properties in the State. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah must sack the Minister for Municipal Administration, Haj and Waqf and Minorities Welfare Qamarul Islam because he was involved in irregularities relating to waqf properties in Gulbarga, Mr. Aboobakkar said.

The BJP will send a detailed memorandum on the issue to both the Union and State governments. If no action was forthcoming, then the party would start an agitation on this issue, he said.

Salim Ambagilu, secretary of State BJP Minorities Morcha, who was present at the press meet, said that though the State government had launched the ‘Shaadi Bhagya’ scheme with much fanfare a year ago, its implementation was hampered due to lack of funds.