The relay hunger strike by families in Munambam over land claimed by the Waqf Board drew to a close on Sunday. The protest, which had lasted 414 days and was organised by the Munambam Land Protection Council outside the Velankanni Matha Church in Munambam, concluded with an event attended by Revenue Minister K Rajan and Law Minister P Rajeev.
Joseph Benny, the Council convenor, stated that 610 families in Munambam had been denied revenue rights over the past four years.
"The Waqf Amendment Bill brought national attention to our agitation. We received support from various political parties," Benny remarked.
He added that the state government has promised to establish a help desk to finalise the land mutation procedures.
Law Minister P Rajeev assured that the government would secure the residents' legal rights and insisted there was no political motivation behind the decision.
"There are complexities, as several court orders relate to the Munambam issue. In this context, we appointed a judicial commission to study the matter. From the outset, our position has been that the residents are bona fide occupants and their land rights ought to be protected," he said.
Minister K Rajan commented that the government was seeking a permanent solution through the judicial commission.
"As the court has issued no directive against land mutation, we believe there will be no difficulty in proceeding with it. The government has decided to stand by the people of Munambam from the beginning," he added.
He emphasised that Munambam should not be viewed as a political issue. "In the last nine-and-a-half years, people were provided land by the government. We will always stand with the people," he asserted. MLAs K N Unnikrishnan and Job Maichil also attended the event.
The decision to call off the protest followed a recent directive from the Kerala High Court, which permitted the state government to accept land tax from the residents until the case is resolved. However, divisions have emerged among the protestors regarding the decision to end the strike.
A separate faction has commenced a new protest outside the church premises. Leaders of this faction stated they would continue the protest, arguing that full revenue rights have not been reinstated merely by allowing the collection of tax.
They demanded the removal of the Munambam land from the Waqf registry and the completion of land mutation so that families could apply for bank loans or sell their land.
The dispute concerns approximately 404 acres of land in Munambam, which was recently claimed by the Waqf Board. Since that claim, the government had ceased accepting land tax from the families residing on the disputed land.
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