Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala State Waqf Board chairman K S Hamza on Tuesday slammed Chief Minister V D Satheesan over his remarks on the Munambam land issue, accusing him of creating confusion through public statements.

He said the Chief Minister was “creating a smokescreen through statements” and added that “if the Chief Minister is atleast willing to speak, a solution to the issue can be reached.” He also said that the problems of Munambam residents should be resolved.

Hamza clarified that the Munambam land was not “registered” on the UMEED portal but “included” in it. The Unified Waqf Management, Empowerment, Efficiency and Development (UMEED) portal is a centralised digital platform under the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs for registration, real-time verification and monitoring of Waqf properties across India.

He said the inclusion was part of a technical and legal procedure and a mandatory obligation that had to be completed before May 17, stressing that it does not determine ownership.

“Even if a property is included on the UMEED portal, ownership rights will be decided only according to the final decision of the government and the courts,” he said.

Hamza said there was no attempt to conceal information, noting that dispute details and pending court cases were clearly recorded while including the land. He also said around 59,000 Waqf properties in Kerala have been included on the UMEED portal, including Munambam, and that the record is not final.

He added that the Waqf Board has no hostility towards Munambam residents and only sympathises with them, stating that such issues must be resolved through legal channels.

He further said: “If the land of a party, community or individual has been lost, and its ownership is being proved through legal means and courts, is that how it should be handled? Shouldn’t it be dealt with in that manner?”

He also said: “It is said that a person is the enemy of what he does not know. It was posted on Facebook and a press note was issued two weeks ago that 100 per cent of Waqf properties have been entered on the Umeed digital platform. News was also published in several newspapers. When asked whether Munambam was included, it was said that it was 100 per cent included. Munambam is Waqf property. That is why it was included. The Chief Minister is speaking about this only now, either yesterday or the day before.”

He added: “There was no attempt to hide any information while entering details. There is a column to include case-related information. It has been clearly written that there is a dispute in the Munambam issue and that a case is pending in court. It was included with that disclosure.”

Allegations over land sales and Waqf classification

Hamza alleged that Munambam landholders had been “cheated”, claiming that certain individuals, including an advocate and the management of Farook College, misled residents into purchasing land without valid sale rights under Waqf provisions.

“They were trapped after being told that the land had sale rights, though it did not have proper ownership transfer rights under Waqf provisions,” he alleged.

He said the Munambam land was declared Waqf property in 2019 during the tenure of a UDF-backed Waqf Board. He added that residents deserved justice but should have examined original documents before purchase.

Political escalation and communal sensitivity over Munambam issue

The controversy intensified after CM Satheesan alleged that the previous government and the Waqf Board attempted to “create trouble for the new government” by including the land on the UMEED portal.

He said Waqf properties are usually registered by the ‘mutawalli’ (manager, caretaker or trustee), but in this case the Board itself carried out the inclusion. He said he did not understand the intention behind the move and warned that identifying land as Waqf property could lead to residents being treated as encroachers, while assuring that no evictions are planned.

He added that a mechanism would be created for tax payment and described the issue as a legal matter created by the Waqf Board. He also noted that the Waqf Tribunal order had been stayed by intervention of the Waqf Board.

The Munambam dispute involves around 600 families in a coastal region near Kochi seeking revenue rights over land claimed by the Waqf Board. The matter remains pending before the courts.

The issue has taken on a communal dimension, involving properties claimed by the Waqf Board and homes of predominantly Latin Catholic Christian and Hindu fishing families, making it a sensitive political flashpoint in Kerala.

Church-run Malayalam daily Deepika, in an editorial, strongly criticised the inclusion of the land in the UMEED portal and demanded withdrawal of the notification. It also urged intervention by the Congress-led UDF government, recalling Satheesan’s earlier claim that the issue could be resolved within “10 minutes” if his party came to power. 

Extending the BJP's full support to the residents of Munambam, the party's Kerala chief Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Tuesday urged the Centre to exercise its supervisory powers to remove properties uploaded "illegally" on the UMEED portal.

He said he had submitted a written request to Union Minister for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju. He alleged that 404 acres of land in Munambam were registered on the portal without following legal procedures under the Waqf Act.

He said only a ‘Mutawalli’ is authorised to upload Waqf property records on the portal, and in this case the authority rests with Farook College. He alleged the Waqf Board nevertheless registered the property unilaterally, calling it a serious violation.

He urged prompt action, including removal of entries from the portal, and said the BJP would continue pursuing the issue through legal and administrative channels until resolution.