The Congress government in Telangana has come under criticism following the demolition of a centuries-old dargah located adjacent to a temple in Vemulawada, allegedly to facilitate temple expansion despite objections from the Telangana State Waqf Board and members of the Muslim community.
According to a letter issued by the Telangana State Waqf Board to the District Collector of Rajanna Sircilla district, the Board stated that “Dargah Hazrat Tajuddin Khaja Bagh Sawar at Vemulawada, along with attached lands measuring Ac. 25.20 guntas, is a duly notified Waqf institution published in A.P. Gazette No. 2 dated January 11, 1990 (Sl. No. 8813).”
The Board noted that its Task Force team had conducted an enquiry and found that “the Development Committee and Mutawalli had submitted a willingness letter to local authorities proposing relocation of the dargah,” while emphasising that the shrine is “an approximately 800-year-old structure where devotees have peacefully practised their faith alongside the adjacent Sri Raja Rajeshwara Temple.”
The communication further recorded that “members of the community strongly objected to such actions, stating that the committee and Mutawalli had issued a self-declaration or No Objection Certificate without lawful authority.”
Clarifying the legal position, the Board stated that “the Committee and Mutawalli are not competent to issue any permission or NOC relating to change, relocation, mortgage, sale or lease of a Waqf institution,” adding that “the Telangana State Waqf Board alone is the competent authority to grant permissions concerning Waqf properties.”
The letter also mentioned that Mutawalli later submitted a withdrawal communication acknowledging the lack of authority to approve any changes.
This story was originally published in maktoobmedia.com. Read the full story here.
