Delhi Waqf Board Imams say not receiving salary

Imams demand investigation into unpaid salaries amid allegations of mismanagement by AAP MLA led Delhi Waqf Board

NEW DELHI: Imams with the Delhi Waqf Board have alleged that they are not receiving salaries despite the central government allocating funds and demanded thorough investigations.

“We have been in financial crisis for nearly eight years. Since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government came to power, and its MLA Amanatullah Khan became the chairman of the Waqf board, we are facing repeated delays in the disbursement of salaries,” Qari Gyasur Hassan, a Waqf Imam in Delhi, said on Thursday. He claimed that the salaries have been pending for 25 months and that attempts to meet with key officials, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, have been unsuccessful.

“There are around 185 Imams in Delhi whose salaries have been stopped. I met the CO (circle officer) and went to Kejriwal’s residence, but I couldn’t meet him. I met Atishi (cabinet minister), but nothing happened. Our salaries are pending. This never happened before,” Hassan said.

Echoing similar concerns, Mufti Mohammed Qasim of the Anglo Arabic School accused the Masjid section of the Waqf Board of misleading higher authorities by providing inaccurate reports.

“This has resulted in some Imams being wrongly classified as illegal. The matter has been ongoing for a long time. Some Imams have not been paid for almost 30 months,” he said. Qasim said despite the government’s financial support to the Waqf Board, the Imams continue to face delays in receiving their salaries. “This situation warrants a thorough investigation,” he asserted.

Maulana Sajid Rashidi, a prominent Imam, said the government had increased Imam’s salaries from Rs 10,000 to Rs 18,000. “The increase in salaries seems meaningless when salaries are not dispersed,” Rashidi stated. TNIE received no response from the Delhi Waqf Board over the allegations.