120 monuments claimed by state Waqf boards, says ASI

The Parliamentary panel on the Waqf Amendment Bill on Friday held deliberations with the ASI, which claimed that over 120 monuments under its protection, are claimed by different state Waqf boards, which led to heated exchanges between the ruling and Opposition members of the panel, sources said.

Opposition members criticised the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for its contention that these Muslim bodies can claim any property as theirs. Heated words were exchanged during the first session of the meeting between some Opposition and BJP members, and the ASI faced piercing questions from both sides, sources said.

The Opposition members accused the culture ministry, which supervises ASI and was represented by its secretary, of "misleading" the panel members and peddling "WhatsApp university" misinformation with its claim that Waqf boards can declare ownership over any property.


Sources said ASI's presentation included a list of 53 monuments claimed by Waqf. Some of them were declared as Waqf properties almost a century after ASI, whose history predates the country's Independence, announced them as protected monuments.