Kerala: Munambam Waqf land protest ends; another faction launches fresh agitation

The relay hunger strike by the Munambam Land Protection Council over land ownership issues involving the Waqf Board concluded on Sunday.

The event, calling off the 414 days of the protests, held at Velankanni Matha Church at Munambam, was attended by state Revenue Minister K Rajan and Law Minister P Rajeev.

Advertisement

However, another faction, opposed to the decision to call off the protests, has started a fresh agitation outside the Velankanni Matha Church premises in Munambam. Leaders of the faction said they would continue the protest, as full revenue rights have not been restored merely by allowing tax collection. They said they will continue the protest till they get the full revenue rights over their land in Munambam.

“We have only been allowed to pay land tax temporarily. The core issue remains unresolved. We will continue the protest till the removal of the Munambam land from the Waqf Board’s asset list,” said Philip, one of the leaders of the rebel group.

Speaking at the function in Munambam, State Law Minister P Rajeev said the government will ensure residents’ legal rights and that there is no politics behind it. Revenue Minister Rajan said the government has sought a permanent solution through the judicial commission.

“As the court has given no direction against land mutation, we believe there would not be any issue in going forward with it. The government has decided to stand with the people of Munambam from the beginning,” he said.

The Munambam Land Protection Council officially decided to end the protest, following an interim Kerala High Court directive that allowed the state government to accept land tax from the residents until the land dispute case is fully resolved. The rebel group argues that merely accepting land tax does not restore full revenue rights. They said the agitation would continue till the complete removal of the Munambam land from the Waqf registry and the completion of land mutation processes so that families can sell their land or apply for bank loans.