GADAG : It has come to light that the dining hall (prasad nilaya) of Gadag’s 500-year-old Annadaneshwar Mutt, farmland and a graveyard are Waqf properties, prompting villagers and residents of Naregal town in Gadag district to visit the tahsildar’s office to check their land records.
Many farmers have learnt that the mutt hall in Naregal town, nearly 50 acres of land near Naregal, and revenue department land of Hunasikatti village, which was a graveyard, has been converted to Waqf land.
The villagers said they have not been allowed to enter the graveyard since 2019, after a board was put up that it was ‘Chikkanaragund Malan Waqf property’. Annadan Vijay Vidya Prasarak Committee’s 410/B property is in the name of Rahman Shah Vali Dargah under Waqf Board.
The devotees went to meet Ron MLA GS Patil to discuss the issue, but he was out of town and promised to get the details and take action soon. Many farmers have started checking their documents, and news of Waqf property records has created a sense of fear among those dependent on small parcels of land for their livelihood.
Laxmeshwar town’s Desai Bana farmers have protested that land records of 50 acres show it is Waqf property, and complained to the tahsildar that some survey numbers of the town come under the Waqf Board.
They have sought help from the administration as nobody is benefiting from government schemes or is able to sell their land because of the mention of Waqf in land records.
Annadaneshwar Mutt’s Muppin Baavalinga seer said the mutt has a history of 500 years but its dining hall records show it is Waqf land. Devotees were upset to learn that it was named Waqf land. A Gadag district administration official said, “There are many complaints coming about Waqf and we will soon help farmers. They don’t need to worry about it.”