The Munambam land dispute has intensified after ACTS, an organisation representing a collective of Christian churches, demanded that the United Democratic Front remove M.C. Moin Haji as chairman of the Waqf Board. The group accused Haji of attempting to create communal divisions through his statements on the disputed land.
ACTS general secretary George Sebastian made the demand at a press conference, according to Kerala Kaumudi. He said Haji’s repeated assertion that the land at Munambam was Waqf property amounted to a challenge to the landowners living in the area.
The dispute centres on the ownership and status of land in Munambam, where residents and other stakeholders have been involved in a prolonged conflict over property rights. The latest statement places the Waqf Board chairman’s public position at the centre of the political and administrative disagreement.
Sebastian also criticised the government’s handling of the issue. He said Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan had stated that the Munambam problem could be resolved within 10 minutes, but had not taken action to settle the matter. The statement did not provide further details about when the comment was made or what specific administrative steps ACTS expected the government to take.
ACTS said it would resume protests if the government did not attempt to resolve the dispute. Sebastian also said that legal cases connected with the matter would continue in the courts, indicating that the disagreement remains active both on the ground and through judicial proceedings.
The organisation’s secretary, Kuruvila Mathews, also attended the press conference. ACTS’s demand now adds a political dimension to the continuing land dispute, with the group seeking action against the head of the institution whose position on the property has become a central point of contention.
The statement did not indicate whether the United Democratic Front, the government or the Waqf Board had responded to the demand. The next developments are expected to include ACTS’s decision on renewing protests and the continuation of the cases before the courts.
