UP land linked to former Pak prez Pervez Musharraf auctioned for Rs 1.38 crore
Baghpat (UP), Sep 6: A two-hectare land parcel here falling under enemy property and linked to Pakistan's former president Pervez Musharraf has been auctioned for Rs 1.38 crore, officials said on Friday.
The property is located in Kotana village, Baraut tehsil of Baghpat and was declared as enemy property in 2010.
The classification of enemy property pertains to assets owned by Pakistani nationals in India which are managed by the Custodian Of Enemy Property, a department under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
Musharraf, a former Pakistan military chief who seized power after a coup in the country in 1999, died in 2023. He was born in Delhi in pre-Partition India.
Baraut's Sub-Divisional Magistrate Amar Verma confirmed Musharraf's grandfather lived in Kotana.
"As far as the former Pakistan president is concerned, he was born in Delhi. He never came here. These people have joint land here.
"Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf's father Syed Musharrafuddin and mother Zarin Begum never lived in the village but his uncle Humayun lived here for a long time," Verma told PTI.
He said there is also a house in the village where Humayun lived before Independence. In 2010, this piece of land was declared enemy property and its auction was finalised at 10.30 pm on Thursday, he added.
The auctioned land, initially valued at Rs 39.06 lakh, fetched over Rs 1.38 crore and the proceeds from the sale will be deposited in the MHA department's account, a senior Baghpat administration official said.
"The land is recorded under the name 'Nuru' in our revenue records. There is no documented connection between this Nuru and Pervez Musharraf. The records only show that Nuru was a resident who left for Pakistan in 1965," Baghpat's Additional District Magistrate (ADM) Pankaj Verma told PTI.
He said the land was declared enemy property by the central government and was auctioned according to the established regulations.
The ADM also noted that the land, located about eight kilometres from Baraut tehsil in Kotana village, is not classified as residential.
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Campaign Against Hate Speech calls for action against Chandrashekar Swamiji for hate speech
Bengaluru: Campaign Against Hate Speech, a collective of lawyers, activists, and concerned citizens, has urged Karnataka’s Home Minister, Shri Parameshwara G, and Director General of Police, Dr. Alok Mohan, to take legal action against Chandrashekar Swamiji, the seer of Vishwa Vokkaligara Mahasamsthana Mutt. The demand follows an alleged hate speech made by the seer during a protest organized by the Bharatiya Kisan Union at Freedom Park on November 26, 2024.
The organization claimed that the speech was divisive and aimed at spreading communal hatred and enmity between communities. Chandrashekar Swamiji allegedly made inflammatory remarks, including false claims about the authority of the Waqf Board and a controversial suggestion that Muslims in India should be stripped of their voting rights. The speech, delivered to a large audience, has since been uploaded to YouTube by TV9 Kannada, amassing over 6,900 views.
The organization provided excerpts of the speech, which they say falsely accused the Waqf Board of arbitrarily taking over properties, including farmland, and asserted that minorities in Pakistan do not have voting rights. These remarks, they argued, not only mislead the public but also incite hostility against the Muslim community and misrepresent the functioning of the Waqf Board. The statement suggesting that Muslims should be denied voting rights was described as unconstitutional and harmful to the secular and democratic values of the country.
In their letter, the collective highlighted specific sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (formerly the IPC) that they believe the speech violates. These include provisions against promoting enmity between communities, making assertions prejudicial to national integration, and spreading false or alarming information intended to incite hatred. They also pointed out that comments on the video supported the seer’s views, reflecting the potential for real-world consequences stemming from the speech.
While Chandrashekar Swamiji has since issued a written apology, Campaign Against Hate Speech argued that it is insufficient. The apology has not been widely circulated, while the original speech continues to be shared online, further amplifying its divisive message.
The organization has requested legal action against the seer and restrictions on the offensive video. They have also called for a broader public awareness campaign to educate people about the legal and social consequences of hate speech. Additionally, they suggested that the upcoming winter session of the Karnataka Assembly address the growing issue of hate speech comprehensively.
The letter underscored the importance of preserving Karnataka’s identity as a “garden of peace for all communities,” as envisioned by Rashtrakavi Kuvempu. Citing Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of democracy as a mode of “associated living,” they stressed that such remarks not only threaten a specific community but also undermine the foundational values of the nation.
