INDIA
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Waqf board claims entire Vellore village, sparks land dispute and protests. In a controversial move, the Tamil Nadu Waqf Board has claimed ownership of an entire village in Vellore’s Kattukollai sending notices to around 150 families declaring their land as Waqf property. The notices, reportedly issued by dargah caretaker F Syed Satham, demand residents either vacate or start paying ground rent and taxes in accordance with Waqf laws. Villagers, who claim they’ve lived there for generations with proper government-issued documents, protested at the Collector’s office. Syed Satham, who took over the dargah in 2021 after his father’s death, says the land has been Waqf Board property since 1954. He explained his father didn’t collect rent due to lack of awareness, but he now intends to correct that by enforcing Waqf right. Satham also warned that if residents don’t respond to upcoming notices, he will approach the High Court