As residents of Munambam village in Ernakulam district intensified their protest against the Waqf Board’s claim over their land, the LDF government intervened in the issue with the Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan calling a high-level meeting on November 16 to resolve the issue.

Apart from the Chief Minister, State Law Minister, Revenue Ministers, Minister in-charge of Waqf V Abdur Rahman and Chairman Waqf Board will attend the meeting to be held online. Along with seeking legal options, the discussion will be on restoring the revenue rights of 614 families in Munambam. The status of the existing cases in the court will also be discussed in the meeting.

The protests by around 614 families of Munambam coastal village in Kerala’s Ernakulam district against the claim by Waqf board on their land emerged as a major issue in Kerala. These families in Munambam lost their land revenue rights after the Waqf board claimed right over it . The ongoing Munambam issue started in 2019 with the Waqf board staking claim over the land citing that it was Waqf land that was donated to Farook college in Kozhikode by one Siddique Sait in 1950. In 2022, they were told that they cannot pay the land tax on their properties. Following this, the Kerala government intervened and allowed them to pay the tax. However, a forum under the banner Waqf Samrakshana Samathi (Waqf protection forum) challenged the move in the Kerala High Court. The High Court then stayed the Kerala government’s decision to allow the protesting families to pay tax. The case is still pending before the High Court

Meanwhile, Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, V D Satheesan, on Monday urged Vijayan to convene an all-party meeting to resolve the Munambam Waqf land issue. Satheesan, in a statement ,on Monday said he has written to CM requesting an all-party meeting to discuss the issue. Stating that no Muslim religious organisation has claimed that the land in Munambam is Waqf property, he demanded that the land be given to the current residents unconditionally and called for the government’s urgent intervention in the matter.

The Catholic Church has launched a scathing attack on both the LDF and UDF legislators for unanimously passing a resolution in the Assembly against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill 2024 brought by the Union government, even while the people in Munambam were protesting against the Waqf Board’s claim on their land. Recently, both the LDF and UDF unanimously passed a resolution in the state Assembly opposing the BJP-led Centre government’s Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024

BJP leader Shone George said the Narendra Modi government has introduced the Waqf(Amendment ) Act, 2024 in order to remove the provisions in the the Waqf Act of 1995, which give Waqf boards and Waqf tribunals powers that go beyond the Constitution.He said the Waqf board has claimed right over the land of the people in Munambam based on the provisions in the Waqf Act of 1995.Therefore, for resolving the issue permanently, the Waqf Act of 1995 needs to be amended. It is for this purpose- to stop the unreasonable claim of the Waqf board over people’s lands , which were taken possession by them after due legal process- that the Modi government, has brought the Waqf amendment bill in parliament , he said