PATNA: The Bihar Sunni Waqf Board and residents of Govindpur village in Patna district are heading for a showdown after the former claimed ownership of the entire village and issued notices asking villagers to vacate the land within 30 days.
Amid the tussle, a BJP team led by Satyendra Singh, former party candidate from Fatuha assembly constituency, visited the village and talked to the residents.
The team will submit its report to BJP MP from Patna Sahib Ravi Shankar Prasad. The team assured the residents that justice would be done with them. “We visited the affected village on the directive of MP Ravi Shankar Prasad,” Singh told the media.
The Waqf Board has sent notices to at least seven residents of Govindpur village where 95% of the residents are Hindus. The notices have been issued by Babloo Mian on behalf of Waqf Board. Villagers have resisted the Waqf Board’s move by contending that the land had been in their families’ possession since their grandfathers’ time.
Brijesh Ballabh Prasad, Rajkishore Mehta, Ramlal Sao, Malti Devi, Sanjay Prasad, Sudip Kumar, and Surendra Vishwakarma have received notices from the Waqf Board. After receiving the notices, all seven landowners have filed a petition in the Patna High Court.
“We have no option but to knock the doors of the judiciary to get justice. We have been living here for several decades and never came across such a situation earlier. We will fight for justice,” a resident said, adding that they have provided all documents to the BJP team.
Satyendra Singh said the copies of notices issued to the residents village have been obtained from them and the same would be sent to the Ravi Shankar Prasad. The Waqf Board erected a notice board at the entrance of the village staking its claim of ownership on the entire village.
“The Waqf Board came into existence after Independence. But our forefathers have been living here before Independence. How can Waqf Board claim its ownership over the entire village land?” a resident asked.
Patna district administration has said that they were keeping a close watch over the development at the village ever since notices were served on residents by the Waqf Board.
Located 30 km from the state capital, Govindpur has a population of about 5000.
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