Wakf land row: Congress points fingers at Deputy Chief Minister

Says the encroachers of Wakf property enjoyed open support of the Revenue Department headed by none other than Mohammed Mahmood Ali

Hyderabad: The Congress on Sunday alleged that the Deputy Chief Minister (Revenue) Mohammed Mahmood Ali was directly involved in the alienation of prime Wakf land belonging to Chunti Shah Mosque at Osmanpura, located exactly opposite to his house. Of 4,990 square metre, as much as 1,372 sq mt Wakf land has been alienated to private parties by the Revenue department by declaring it as government land.

A Congress delegation, led by Greater Hyderabad Congress Committee (Minorities Department) Chairman Shaik Abdullah Sohail, visited the Chunti Shah Mosque. The delegation interacted with different persons, including mosque general secretary Basith Nawaz Khan, on the status of Wakf land.

“Mosque had a landed property of about 9 acres and 40 guntas. But almost the entire land has been encroached by private parties. It is shocking that the encroachers enjoyed open support of Revenue Department, which is headed by Deputy CM Mahmood Ali. The land was first declared as government land and then alienated by issuing pattas,” said Sohail.

The Congress leader said the alienation of Chunti Shah Mosque land had exposed the hollow claims of the TRS government on the protection of Wakf properties. “When Mahmood Ali could not protect prime Wakf land in his neighbourhood, he cannot be not expected to be honest towards other properties. He has misused his position as Deputy CM (Revenue) and comfortably alienated a prime land,” he said.

The delegation demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao order an enquiry into all the cases wherein Wakf land was given to private parties across Telangana through Revenue Department since the formation of the new State.