The Karnataka state government has warned of taking disciplinary action against those who alter land records or issue eviction notices to farmers under the Waqf Act. In a letter, Revenue Department Principal Secretary Rajender Kumar Kataria reminded regional and deputy commissioners that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently addressed complaints about land being wrongly transferred to the Karnataka Board of Waqfs. Following a meeting on the issue, it was decided that all previous orders to change land mutation records were now withdrawn.
The letter also clarified that any eviction notices issued earlier were cancelled, and no further action should be taken against farmers who continue to work on the affected land. The Chief Minister’s instructions, issued on November 7, have been officially communicated, and any officials who ignored these orders will face disciplinary action, Kataria stated.
This move comes ahead of upcoming bypolls in Karnataka, set for November 13. Complaints had emerged from farmers in Honwad village, Vijayapura, where they claimed eviction notices were issued after the Waqf Board laid claim to their land. The issue sparked similar complaints from other parts of the state.
On October 25, BJP leader Tejasvi Surya accused Waqf Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan of instructing officials to register lands in favor of the Waqf Board within 15 days, causing confusion among farmers. In response, the Chairman of the Joint Committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Jagdambika Pal, visited Karnataka on November 7 to meet with affected farmers in Hubballi, Vijayapura, and Belagavi.
(With PTI Inputs)