A dispute has erupted between the ASI and the Waqf Board over the ownership of monuments. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on Friday presented a list of more than 120 monuments to the parliamentary committee examining the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. The ASI said that the monuments are under their protection, but various state Waqf boards claim their rights over the monuments. Opposition members criticized the ASI's argument that Muslim bodies can claim any property. It is said that in the first session of the meeting, there was a heated debate between the opposition and some BJP members. During this, the ASI had to face sharp questions from both sides.
Opposition members accused the Ministry of Culture of misleading the committee members. Also accused of spreading misinformation. It is claimed that the Waqf Board can declare ownership over any property. The ASI works under the Ministry of Culture. In its presentation, the ASI gave a list of 53 monuments on which the Waqf claims its rights. Some of these were declared Waqf properties almost a century after they were declared protected monuments by the ASI, having a history dating back to before the country's independence.
The list included the tomb of Nizam ruler Ahmed Shah in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. It was declared a protected monument by the ASI in 1909, while it was declared Waqf property in 2006. Zakat Foundation of India and Interfaith Coalition for Peace were represented by Syed Zafar Mahmood. Former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, retired Lieutenant General, and former Vice Chancellor of AMU Zameer Uddin Shah and Packiam Samuel also appeared before the Joint Parliamentary Committee.
The Telangana State Waqf Board also appeared before the committee. Sources said that all three bodies opposed the bill, saying that it was against the interests of the Muslim community. The ASI said that various Waqf bodies have encroached upon its monuments and made constructions like madrasas-toilets. Some opposition members opposed this and said that these facilities should be present in the places of worship of Muslims.
An opposition MP is reported to have accused the ASI of occupying 172 Waqf properties in Delhi alone. He said that the Act of the National Survey Body does not allow it to change the religious character of any monument. The MP also alleged that the ASI's attitude is different in the case of Hindu religious places.
The MPs who attended the meeting of the Joint Committee of Parliament chaired by BJP MP Jagdambika Pal included BJP's Nishikant Dubey, Brijlal, Tejasvi Surya and Sanjay Jaiswal, Congress' Gaurav Gogoi, Mohammad Javed, Syed Naseer Hussain and Imran Masood, Trinamool Congress' Kalyan Banerjee, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi and Aam Aadmi Party's Sanjay Singh.
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