Cultural disputes over 404.76 acres of land have been occurring in Kerala, India for quite a while. In the coastal village, Munambam – a Kochi suburb – a complex land dispute has left around 610 families caught in a cluster of legal and political challenges. The main reason for the conflict lies in the claim that Kerala Waqf Board owns 404.76 acres of land and it was designated as a Waqf property in 1950. This claim could leave hundreds of families, who have inhabited the land for generations, homeless with no legal right over what they have long considered theirs. This Waqf Board’s claim, stated in 2019, ignited widespread protests from the residents of Pallipuram Grama Panchayat’s Munambam Kadappuram ward and Beach ward. Due to this claim, the residents struggled and faced multiple challenges, hence, this gave birth to a hunger strike on 4th November, 2024 in the suburb of Munambam.
This hunger strike was made possible with the support of the Church. The Church of Our Lady of Velankanny is located by the sea, along the stretch from Munambam to Cherai in Kerala’s Ernakulam district. This region is predominantly home to Latin Catholics. The Church has declared that numerous properties belonging to Christian families for generations in the villages of Cherai and Munambam in the Ernakulam district have been unlawfully claimed by the waqf board using provisions of the existing Act. In Cherai and Munambam villages in Ernakulam district, residents have proclaimed that the waqf board unlawfully makes claims to their land and properties, despite the people having registered deeds and land tax payment receipts.
The Munambam land dispute has become a pivotal issue. Kerala Law Minister P Rajeeve stated that the government was working to resolve this entangled land conflict involving the Waqf Board’s claims on properties at Munambam in Kochi. leaders across political parties have been eagerly siding with protesters, capturing the moment to louden residents’ grievances. Mostly, the BJP has shown engagement with Union Minister Suresh Gopi. They recently visited the protest site to express solidarity. The ruling CPI(M) and the Congress have also pledged to address the concerns of affected families and “rectify injustices”.
Political parties have flocked to the protest site, using it as a campaign venue to highlight the grievances of the 610 families protesting against the Kerala Waqf Board’s claim on their land. Even other political leaders have taken this issue to their advantage and are using it as a rallying point, amplifying it in election narratives to gain support by showcasing sympathy and support with the affected families.
This conflict has been ongoing for decades but still hasn’t come to a halt. Just recently, it has taken a serious turn of strikes and bans and hence it has come to the government’s notice. Despite the grave situation in Kerala with struggling families and citizens, the government seems to care more about their stance, power and the amount of votes they obtain in the upcoming elections. But this ignorance seen by the government isn’t something new and obscure to the citizens of Kerala or India. The Indian government hasn’t been successful in bringing solutions to many grave incidents and hence, they have grown or continued to date. The Land Conflicts in Tribal Areas, 2020 Delhi Riots, Communal Clashes in Assam, Hathras Rape Case 2020, Unnao Rape Case 2017. All of these are cases where the government has been criticized for failing to act. A common thing about all these criticized cases is that they are related to gender inequality, religious conflicts and inequality in general. India is one of the leading nations with these problems due to the high population and failing government actions done for serious circumstances like these.
Written by Ratisha Khare
