Confusion prevailed at the Haj House a day after revenue and police officials sealed the Telangana State Waqf Board (TSWB) on the orders Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao.
Employees of other agencies affiliated to the Minorities Welfare Department, such as the Telangana State Urdu Academy, which also operates from the Haj House, were forced to wait outside the building as well. Several had to prove their credentials before they could be allowed inside. Employees of the TSWB were allowed inside later, but access to files was restricted. Revenue officials seized files and sealed the records section among others, on Tuesday.
A string of reactions was seen throughout the day. Congress workers staged dharna and accused the TRS government of failing to reclaim encroached Waqf lands while claiming that many encroachers had ties to the MIM.
They demanded that the government order a probe into misappropriation of Waqf assets by a sitting High Court judge. Soon after MIM legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi spoke about the issue in the assembly, Congress and Majlis Bachao Tehreek accused the MIM of opportunism and sycophancy.
Meanwhile, former chairperson of the AP Minorities Commission, Abid Rasool Khan, reiterated his demand of a CBI probe into alleged irregularities committed in the past 20 years.
While MIM legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi lauded the sealing of the TSWB, he requested the CM to take into confidence elected board members including chairman Mohammed Saleem. He demanded that rentals be brought in line with prevailing market rates.
‘CID inquiry demanded’
In the recent past, the MIM floor leader had demanded a CB-CID inquiry into the alleged irregular appointments at the board. In a list submitted to the House Committee on minorities welfare, it underscored that there were over 40 employees related to one another. It further noted that unqualified staff members were drawing exorbitant salaries.
