In Bareilly district of Uttar Pradesh, a case of illegal occupation of government land in the name of Waqf property has come to light. This is the first FIR after the implementation of Waqf law, accusing 11 people of occupying government land by stating the waqf property of the cemetery. The investigation conducted on the instructions of Senior Superintendent of Police Anurag Arya revealed the scam, after which a case was filed in Sarania village of CBGanj police station area.
According to the investigation, a trust was illegally occupied by a trust on about 3 bighas of government land in Sarania village as a wakf property of the cemetery. Following the complaint of the local people, the SSP ordered a thorough investigation into the case. Investigation found that the accused got the land registered as Waqf property on the basis of fake documents and captured it. This land was actually in government records and had no relation with Waqf. Police have registered an FIR against 11 people in this case under sections 420 (fraud), 467 (forgery) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) of IPC.
The Waqf (Amendment) Act 2025, is designed to bring transparency in the management of Waqf properties and prevent illegal claims. Under this law, the Waqf Board can no longer claim any property arbitrarily. The claims of Waqf on the government will be investigated by the Collector or the High Officer. The new rules have imposed a 12 -year limit, under which Waqf cannot claim long -occupied assets.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath recently said that lakhs of acres of government lands have been illegally occupied in the name of Waqf. He revealed that these lands will now be used in public interest, such as schools, hospitals, and other welfare schemes. This case of Bareilly is considered a big step in this direction.
The local administration has now started the process of taking back this land back into government possession. Police say more people are expected to be involved in the investigation, and the network preparing forged documents is being detected. The incident has highlighted the game of misuse of Waqf properties and the game of occupation of government lands, against which the demand for strict action is being raised.
