MUMBAI, 14 July 2007 — The issue of alleged irregularities and sale of Waqf properties in Maharashtra does not seem to end and has now taken a political turn. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is now adding more fuel to the fire with its state party spokesman Madhav Bhandari yesterday demanding a probe by the federal Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and also registering of criminal cases against all those involved in the sale of 25 Waqf properties.
Speaking to journalists at a crowded press conference at the BJP office in Mumbai, Bhandari challenged state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to dare and sack the controversial Cabinet minister for Awqaf Anees Ahmed. “If Deshmukh does not sack Ahmed, it will prove that either Ahmed is speaking the truth or he is more powerful than the chief minister,” Bhandari said.
Justifying the BJP’s demand for the CBI probe, Bhandari expressed the fear that an impartial probe by the Maharashtra government would not be possible as one of the Waqf properties in Aurangabad was purchased at a throw away price by Nirman Bharti Landmark Private Limited, which is owned by Dilip Deshmukh, a legislator and younger brother of the chief minister.
Replying to a question on the comments of the chief minister who clarified that the land of his brother Dilip did not belong to the Waqf Board, Bhandari said that the land record papers attached by his brother to the sale deed clearly point out that the land title is “enaam” (gifted land) given by one Mohammed Pasha.
According to the Federal Waqf Board Act, 1995, land belonging to the Waqf Board cannot be sold or transferred under any circumstances. State BJP President Nitin Gadkari and former state minister Nawab Malik demanded a probe into the Waqf properties’ sale and irregularities by a sitting judge of the Bombay High Court. Gadkari alleged that a Waqf property worth more than rupees 2 billion was sold off for rupees 70 million only.
Meanwhile, state Waqf Minister Anees Ahmed has landed into trouble with the state Congress leadership with senior leaders voicing protest against Ahmed.
They are upset at him for naming some of his ministerial and party colleagues in the Waqf land scam. Ahmed was lobbying in New Delhi to generate support among the Congress leadership against some state Congress leaders supporting his opponent Dr. M.A. Aziz, the chairman of the state Waqf Board.
Minister Anees Ahmed has created jitters in the Democratic Front government and Congress circles by alleging that some of his ministerial colleagues had profited from the sale of Waqf properties. Strong protests against Ahmed’s allegations were heard from state Congress leadership for naming some ministers and Congress leaders as beneficiaries of the Waqf lands.
State Congress spokesman Hussain Dalwai lodging a protest said that such allegations made by Ahmed were neither correct nor fair and demanded that the government should order a probe by the state Criminal Investigation Department into the Waqf land scam.
Despite being in town after returning from Delhi. Ahmed did not attend the weekly Cabinet meeting and remained absent, anticipating fireworks from his ministerial colleagues at the meeting.
Suspected ‘Al Qaeeda’ Youth Found Innocent, Released
Mohammed Bilal, the 22-year-old Kashmiri youth from Doda in Jammu who was arrested on Wednesday night by the Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) of Pune police on charges of being an Al-Qaeda operative, was released yesterday morning.
The Pune police, the Intelligence Bureau and the Military Intelligence (MI) had to eat a humble pie as they failed to establish Bilal’s links with any extremist organization during several hours of interrogation.
Jayant Umranikar, the Pune police commissioner and a former RAW official based in Islamabad, was forced to go on the back foot in defense and a damage control exercise, when he said that the youth was kept on surveillance and was picked up for questioning.
“There is nothing to show that he is an extremist. The police had verified his credentials and there are no sufficient grounds to show that he has links with extremist organizations,” Umranikar said.
The city police chief further stated: “As of now there is no concrete evidence against the youth to prove that he is an Al-Qaeda militant. However our inquiry will continue further and if anything is revealed, then appropriate action will be taken against the youth.”
Asked as to why the name of the Kashmiri youth was not revealed, Umranikar said: “Since nothing was proven against him the police did not want to reveal the name of the youth.” The youth was picked up on the basis of inputs from MI officials, who had alleged that the youth was involved in reconnaissance of vital defense installations and information technology companies during his stay in Pune over eight months.
The police said that the complete picture would become clear after two days, after investigations to find out whether the youth had any connections with other terrorist organizations apart from Al-Qaeda.
Amid tight security the youth was being thoroughly interrogated in the office of the ATS, while his father and brother were sitting throughout Thursday outside the office. When media persons tried to seek information from them, they said that they were warned by the police not to speak to the media, while all police officers were ordered to maintain complete secrecy in the issue.
