Waqf land: Church calls for govt action amid escalating protests in Kerala

Kochi: The ongoing protests in Munambam in Kerala's Ernakulam district over the Waqf land claim have intensified, with the influential Syro-Malabar Church organising solidarity events across 1,000 churches in the state on Sunday.

Church sources said the events were organised under the leadership of the All Kerala Catholic Congress, the official community organisation of the Church.

As part of the programme, special prayers were held in Churches after the Sunday Mass to express solidarity with the residents protesting the Munambam land dispute.

In the villages of Cherai and Munambam, residents have alleged the Waqf Board was unlawfully claiming their land and properties, despite the people holding registered deeds and land tax payment receipts.

Syro-Malabar Church head, Major Archbishop Raphel Thattil, called on both the Union and State governments to intervene and resolve the Munambam issue.

"This is a humanitarian issue and must be addressed in a humane, democratic way, in accordance with the Constitution," he said.

He made these remarks after visiting the those staging hunger strike in Munambam on Saturday.

Archbishop Dr Joseph Kalathiparampil of the Varapuzha Latin Archdiocese also weighed in, urging both the central and the State governments to take a moral and humane stance on the Waqf land dispute.

He said the land in Munambam was not Waqf property, citing discussions between the Varapuzha Archdiocese and representatives from the Union and State governments.

The Syro-Malabar Church's intervention comes amid growing discontent among a significant section of the Christian population in the state over the opposition by both the LDF and UDF to the BJP-led Centre's Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Waqf and Haj Pilgrimage, V Abdurahiman, assured the public on Sunday that the government would not evict anyone from Munambam.

"The government will resolve the issue and has no plans to evict anyone," he told reporters, urging the matter should not be portrayed as a communal issue.

Protesters from the Munambam Bhoo Samrakshana Samiti announced on Sunday that they would continue with the protests to any extent necessary if the issue remains unresolved.

The Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF recently passed a unanimous resolution in the state assembly opposing the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, which challenges provisions in the existing Waqf law.

In opposition to the bill, the Church has alleged that numerous properties belonging to Christian families for generations in Cherai and Munambam have been unlawfully claimed by the Waqf Board using provisions of the existing Act.

Recently, Deepika, a daily newspaper backed by the Syro-Malabar Church, published an editorial criticising the Congress-led UDF and the CPI(M)-led LDF, accusing them of passing the unanimous resolution in the state Assembly "to protect the Waqf law without seeing the tears of the affected people."