The Waqf Board has recently laid claim to at least 53 historical monuments in Karnataka, a state currently under Congress governance. This claim covers prominent sites such as the Gol Gumbaz, Ibrahim Rauza, Bara Kaman, as well as forts in Bidar and Kalaburagi. Among the 53 monuments, a significant majority—43—are located in Vijayapura, a city that was once the capital of the Adil Shahi dynasty. The remaining sites include six monuments in Hampi and four in the Bengaluru Circle.

According to a Deccan Chronicle report, the Waqf Board in Vijayapura first declared 43 centrally protected monuments as its own in 2005. This claim was made during Mohammad Mohsin’s tenure as Principal Secretary of the Health and Family Welfare Department (Medical Education). During that time, Mohsin also served as Chairman and Deputy Commissioner of the Waqf Board in Vijayapura. He asserted that this claim was backed by “authentic documentary evidence” and was subsequently acknowledged in a government gazette notification issued by the Revenue Department.

The Waqf Board has reportedly leveraged the Record of Rights and Government’s Certificate, documents typically issued to property owners, to establish its claim. However, by law, ownership of a property by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) means it cannot be de-notified or transferred to another entity. This restriction is established under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act and Rules of 1958, which strictly prohibits any such transfer.

“While the ASI holds legal ownership of the land and monuments, the encumbrance has been recorded in favor of the Waqf authority,” states a Right to Information (RTI) response obtained by Deccan Chronicle. This transfer of rights appears to have occurred without ASI consultation, raising legal and procedural concerns.

An ASI official revealed that a joint survey of the monuments was conducted in 2012, during which the Waqf Board was asked to provide evidence for its ownership claims. At that time, the Board did not present any documentation supporting its claims. Yet, the ASI official reports that 43 of these sites are now considered “encroached” by the Vijayapura Waqf Board, leading to a range of modifications that compromise their historical value.

“The 43 monuments in Vijayapura are being defaced, with repairs using plaster and cement that violate conservation standards. Modern additions such as fans, air conditioners, fluorescent lights, and toilets have been added to these monuments. Some areas have even been occupied by shopkeepers,” the official emphasized, pointing out how these changes have adversely impacted tourism and the preservation of these sites.

The encroachments, which have remained unresolved since 2007, persist despite direct instructions from the Union Ministry of Culture to the Karnataka Chief Secretary, the Vijayapura Deputy Commissioner, and the Minorities Welfare Department. This ongoing issue raises questions about the stewardship of Karnataka’s cultural heritage, as the state’s historic sites face pressures from both modern encroachments and competing ownership claims.

Shobhit Chandola – Mumbai Uncensored, 15^th June 2022

On Monday, 30th May, a 43 year old businessman Amar Manish Zariwala along with his driver Shyam Sundar Kamat were traveling on Bandra Worli Sea link  in their car on their way to Malad unless the tragedy occured. They stopped their car in the midst as the kite fell on the road due to the collision with the automobile. To take the glance and save the bird, both came out of the car. But within a span of 30 seconds they were immediately hit by the taxi.

The intensity of the accident was so major that both of them soared in the air and fell on the road with flat backs. Both of them were rushed into the Lilavati Hospital as per whose report Amar was declared dead ( on the spot ) whereas Shyam Sundar undergoing treatment was pronounced dead after a few days.Due to the presence of CCTV in the Bridge, the CCTV footage has sparked on the internet. 

The accused driver has been identified as Ravindra Kumar Jaiswar (38) and has been booked for rash and reckless driving. The accident occured at Pole Number 76 of the sea link and the police arrived soon after the accident. It is worth noting that the driver is not encouraged to stop on the sea link, the speed limit to be maintained should be at most 80 km/ hr. And in case if from the sight of the driver, any inappropriate scenario is happening within the 100 m distance, He / She needs to control the vehicle. In the case of Amar Zariwala, it is evident that the driver had ample time to be aware of avoiding the collision. Thus, the Police have chargesheet the driver. 

                                        Amar Zariwala File Photo

Mr. Manish Zariwala, father of the deceased in his statement said that His son was a Biophile and Zoophilist and was always up for animals & birds’ betterment. However, what could be termed as a Howler or gallant decision is that the victim’s father has said to not charge the taxi driver to avoid the inconvenience to the family of the guilty since their child is nomore and have added they have forgiven the latter.

SUMAN GUPTA – Mumbai Uncensored, 25^th April 2022

A new controversy has flooded the air with the infamous influencer Sahara Ray being in the crib of it. It all started when the clothing brand named“SAHARA RAY SWIM”, launched its new collection named the ‘Aura Collection 2022’. The collection consisted mostly of thongs, micro string tops and swimwears, that  featured images of Hindu deities on top of them. 

The clothing brand printed the images of Indian deities on the swimwears that affected the religious sentiments of the people.

Soon after the release of this collection, the images of the clothes went viral all over the media and faced huge backlash from the people. People have expressed their disgust over different social platforms. Social media users reprimanded the clothing company.

In a tweet, the Hindu IT Cell informed, “We have taken cognisance of this matter. It’s an absolutely derogatory and defamatory act against Hindu ideals. We are not going to tolerate this and our team will legally proceed in this matter.”

Popular Twitter user, Madhur Singh, informed that the Instagram handle of ‘Sahara Ray Swim’ first blocked users who questioned the objectionable swimwear collection. “Later they turned the comments off and posted yet another set of photos of the same lingerie. 

After this controversy started on Twitter, this swimwear maker Sahara Ray Swim has made its account private on Instagram. It is believed that the company has taken this step to avoid getting caught in controversy on this platform. Social media users are demanding the company to take back this swimwear and apologize for the act. However, there has been no response from the company on this yet.

Such incidents have been happening before

This is not the first case of such targeting of Hindu deities. Earlier items like bathroom mats, door mats, shoes, slippers with pictures of deities have also come to the fore. There has been a lot of controversy about such items on social media and other forums, but even after this some companies are not ready to take a lesson from it.