New Waqf Board chairman claims Munambam land belongs to Board; residents to resume protest

KOCHI: Residents of Munambam are preparing to resume their agitation after the new Waqf Board chairman, M.C. Mayin Haji, stated that the disputed land belongs to the Board. Mayin Haji, who is also a vice-president of the Muslim League, has taken a stand that contradicts Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's position that the Munambam land is not Waqf property.

The Munambam Protest Committee will stage a sit-in outside the Waqf Board office in Kaloor tomorrow. Father Joshy Mayyattil will inaugurate the protest at 3 pm.

The Munambam Land Protection Committee will organise a march in the area the following day. Participants will light candles at the Munambam church before proceeding to Munambam Gap on the beach, where they will offer prayers.

The agitation had remained suspended for nearly a year. The Land Protection Committee had called off its protest after the Revenue Department allowed residents to pay land tax.

The Munambam Protest Committee, which is considered close to the BJP, was formed after breaking away from the Land Protection Committee. During the earlier agitation, the BJP had gained an upper hand over both the LDF and the UDF. The party also won a ward in the local body elections.

Even after the Centre amended the Waqf law, the previous LDF-led Waqf Board had registered the Munambam land on the UMEED portal. This had put the Left on the defensive. The new Board's stand has now put the UDF in a difficult position as well.

What is the UMEED portal?

The Union Ministry of Minority Affairs launched the UMEED portal in June 2025 to verify Waqf properties across the country and maintain their records through a centralised system.

"The Waqf law amendment has brought no benefit as it has no retrospective effect. The Centre did not intervene to prevent the registration of the Munambam land on the UMEED portal. The issue can be resolved if the state government changes its stand in the case before the Supreme Court," said Joseph Rocky, chairman of the Munambam Land Protection Committee.

"There is a conspiracy behind the registration of the Munambam land on the UMEED portal. The Munambam Protest Committee had to be formed because the people were deceived. The agitation will also be extended to the area in front of the Secretariat," said Philip Joseph of the Munambam Protest Committee.