Sacred Trusts, Dirty Deals: Waqf Properties Being Sold Off One by One in Multi-Crore Scam, Allege Muslims of Pune

Camp, 31st July 2025: In a dramatic and emotionally charged gathering held after Maghrib prayers on Tuesday, July 29, at Lady Hawabai School Campus, Babajan Dargah, leading members of the Pune district’s Muslim community—activists, lawyers, trustees, and citizens—came together to raise a united voice against the systematic commercial exploitation and sale of Waqf properties under what they described as a “deep-rooted nexus of officials and vested interests.”

The meeting, convened to protect the historic and religiously significant Baner Masjid-Dargah Milkiyat, highlighted the growing discontent and outrage among the community over the illegal transfer of over ₹1200 crore worth of Waqf assets allegedly orchestrated by select Waqf Board officials and local political operatives in collusion with powerful builders.

The meeting was convened to strongly condemn the brutal attack on Waqf activist Saleem Mulla, who has been at the forefront of exposing large-scale corruption within the Waqf Board. Community leaders and concerned citizens gathered to demand criminal action against those responsible for the premeditated assault. The attack was seen as a deliberate attempt to silence dissent and intimidate whistleblowers. The gathering called for the protection of activists and the immediate suspension of corrupt officials involved in the Waqf land scam.

Among those present were noted personalities and community representatives, including Shabana Zakir Khan, Adv. Shahid Akhtar Shaikh, Gaus Shaikh Dighi, Mujeeb Patel, Jameer Momin, Sabir Syed, and Mubarak Shaikh, all of whom strongly condemned the stealthy privatization and commercialization of sacred and public trust lands.

“Waqf’s Betrayal from Within”
Speaking at the event, Saleem Mulla, President of the Maharashtra Waqf Liberation and Protection Task Force, recounted the horrifying attack he survived during a recent Waqf Board meeting in Aurangabad. He directly accused Waqf Board Chairman Sameer Kazi and his aide Amjad Qazi of orchestrating an attempted murder to silence his activism.

“They want to eliminate anyone who resists their plan of auctioning off our places of worship. I was called to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) under the pretense of a meeting—what followed was a clear, premeditated attempt on my life,” said Mulla. “But what they forget is, it is the Almighty who decides who lives or dies. Their conspiracy will not deter me.”

Mulla emphasized that the attack was connected to key disputed properties such as the Musafir Khana of Haji Ismail Haroon Siddique and the Dudhari Masjid in Nasik, both of which he claims were illegally removed from the Waqf rolls and transferred to private hands for “throwaway prices.”

He demanded that attempted murder charges be registered against all individuals involved in the assault and called on both the state and central governments to provide security to whistleblowers exposing corruption within the Waqf system.

Mega Scam of the Century: A National Threat?
Prominent Waqf activist Akramul Jabbar Khan issued a scathing statement, calling the unilateral declassification of Waqf land by the Board as the “mega scam of the century.”

“This is not just a betrayal of religious trusts, it’s a fraud on the Constitution of India. Declaring bonafide waqf land as regular land without due process is an act of organized loot. This is a clear case for invoking the MCOCA and the National Security Act. Central investigative agencies must step in immediately,” said Khan.

He added that it was “no coincidence” that voices like Saleem Mulla are being targeted at a time when crores worth of religious property are being looted.

“This is not just a community issue—it is a threat to India’s secular fabric. When institutions meant to protect religious trusts become vehicles for profiteering, the very idea of justice is under threat,” Khan added.

Fabric of Democracy Under Threat
In powerful and unsettling remarks that captured the mood of the gathering, senior community activist Samsher Khan said: “We have turned Waqf Boards into real estate offices and religious shrines into transaction points. What was meant to serve the poor, the orphaned, and the traveler is now being sold to the highest bidder. This is not just corruption—this is moral vandalism of our Constitution.”

Echoing this sentiment, Munshi Iqbal, a retired bureaucrat known for his long-standing involvement in public trust regulation, added: “When institutions begin to auction sacred trust land without consent, when activists are attacked for speaking out, and when corruption wears the garb of legality, then we are no longer talking about fraud—we are talking about treason against public trust.”

Adding to the chorus of outrage, Naseema Bano, a veteran social activist from Pune’s Camp area, didn’t mince words: “The Waqf Board today is not just inefficient—it’s rotten to the core. It has become a hub of corruption, where sacred land is auctioned like real estate and only the rich benefit. No reform will work until the corrupt officials sitting on these chairs are jailed. Nothing less will bring justice.”

Farzana Siddiqui, an educator and madrasa trustee, spoke with fire in her voice: “The time for petitions is over. These Board members are looting what was left behind for the poor in the name of God. They are criminals in clerical robes, and they must be treated as such. They belong in jail, not in public office. Until then, no Waqf property is safe.”

Next Steps: Legal Action and Public Mobilization
The attendees called for:
A mass legal campaign to challenge all illegal waqf property transfers in Pune and Maharashtra.
A formal memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Office, Central Waqf Council, and Enforcement Directorate demanding an immediate forensic audit of all land transactions since 2014.
Community-wide awareness drives to educate citizens and religious trustees about their rights and responsibilities concerning Waqf properties.
Security and legal protection for whistleblowers like Saleem Mulla and others.

Final Words: This Is Not Just a Property Battle
As one participant summarized poignantly:
“This isn’t about land. This is about legacy. About our faith. About the kind of country we are leaving for our children. If we do not stop this now, we may not have anything left to fight for later.”

The gathering concluded with a pledge of unity and vigilance: “We will not allow our silence to be bought, our institutions to be sold, or our faith to be profited from.”