Hundreds of BJP workers staged protests in Belagavi and Chikodi on Friday under the banner of the ‘Waqf Board Hathao’ campaign, opposing notices issued to farmers by the Waqf Board. Meanwhile, Muslim leaders gathered at the Islamia High School grounds in the Camp area as part of the ‘Waqf Board Bachao’ campaign, urging the government to protect Waqf Board lands by taking action against encroachers.
In Belagavi, BJP leaders and workers marched in a massive procession from Sardar ground to the deputy commissioner’s office, raising slogans against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan. They accused the state government of attempting to seize land belonging to farmers and Hindu religious institutions under the guise of the Waqf Board. Protesters chanted slogans such as “Our Land, Our Right” (Namma Bhumi, Namma Hakku) and demanded the withdrawal of the Waqf Board’s notices and the removal of Waqf’s name from farmers’ land records.
Former MLAs Sanjay Patil and Anil Benake, who is also the vice-president of the state BJP, demanded the immediate repeal of the Waqf Act, alleging it was being misused.
In Chikodi, BJP workers organized a similar protest, led by Sampadana Swamiji of Charmurti Math. Addressing the gathering, MLA Shashikala Jolle warned of intensified protests during the upcoming Belagavi session if the government failed to remove the Waqf Board’s name from farmers’ land records.
