The Waqf Board is now claiming at least 53 HISTORICAL monuments across Karnataka as its own
At least 53 ancient sites in Karnataka, including the well-known Gol Gumbaz, Ibrahim Rauza, Vijayapura's Bara Kaman, and the forts at Bidar and Kalaburagi, are being claimed by the Waqf Board. The Waqf Board designated 43 of these at Vijayapura, the former capital of Adil Shahis, as Waqf assets in 2005; several of these have been encroached upon and have undergone needless changes.
The Waqf Board has designated forty-three centrally protected monuments in Vijayapura as Waqf properties, utilizing the identical ROR/PR cards (Record of Rights/government's certificate granted to the property owner), according to information obtained by DH through RTI. The Waqf authority is the encumbrance, even if ASI is the owner of the property or monument. The Union government's RTI response said, "This was done without consulting ASI." According to documents, Mohammad Mohsin, the principal secretary of the health and Family Welfare Department (Medical Education), who served as the head of the Waqf Board in Vijayapura and deputy commissioner at the time, proclaimed these protected sites to be Waqf assets in 2005.
How many monuments were designated as Waqf holdings is beyond me. However, everything I did was by the Revenue Department's official gazette notice and the parties' genuine documented proof," Mohsin stated. On november 12, 1914, the british government at the time designated the majority of them as monuments of national interest. According to the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites Remains (AMASR) Act and Rules of 1958, ASI is the "sole owner" responsible for the upkeep, restoration, and conservation of these sites. Since there are no mechanisms to denotify them, officials claim that once a property is designated as ASI, it remains such forever.
In addition to the Masjid-i-Ala in Srirangapatna, the Waqf Board is claiming four monuments in the Bengaluru circle of ASI and six in the hampi circle. A list of other monuments that the Waqf is alleging was not provided by the Dharwad Circle, which is where the Vijayapura monuments are located. Nearly all 43 of Vijayapura's monuments have reportedly been encroached upon, vandalized, or unscientifically repaired by "third parties," according to ASI sources. A madrasa has been built on the grounds of Mulla mosque and the tomb and mosque of Yakub Dabuli. It was suggested that the structures, which showcase Indo-Islamic architecture, be included in the list of World heritage Sites.