Chennai: Tamil Nadu Congress MLA Hasan Maulana on Tuesday assured residents that no one would be evicted from a Vellore village where a dargah had issued eviction notices after claiming the land as Waqf property.

They have lived on the land for four generations and consider it their own

He, however added that villagers would be required to pay a nominal rent if the Waqf Board’s claim to the land is substantiated by supporting documents. “Once a Waqf, always a Waqf,” Maulana said.

His remarks came after approximately 150 families in Kattukollai village, in Vellore district, reportedly received notices stating that their land belongs to the Waqf.

The notices were issued by a person named F Syed Satham, who claimed that the land in Kattukollai belongs to a local dargah. India Today accessed a notice sent by Satham to a man named Balaji, accusing him of encroaching on Waqf land registered under survey number 362. According to the notice, Balaji had constructed a house and a shop on the property, which, as per Waqf records, belongs to the mosque.

The notice stated that residents must seek permission, pay ground rent, and comply with Waqf laws—or face legal eviction.

Syed Sadam, who became caretaker of the dargah and mosque following his father’s death in 2021, claims the land has belonged to the Waqf Board since 1954 and says they have documents to prove it.

According to Sadam, his late father lacked formal education and awareness and therefore did not collect rent from those living on the land. Now, Sadam says he intends to rectify this by collecting rent from the residents.

He stated that two more notices will be sent, and if there is no response, the matter will be taken to the High Court.

The residents, however, say they have lived on the land for four generations and consider it their own. They are upset that Sadam is now demanding rent, whereas his father never did.

According to the residents, the Vellore District Collector has informally advised them not to pay rent for now.