Waqf Board | Hyderabad, August 6: The Oontwadi Graveyard, a 3,300-square-yard Waqf burial site located in Jummerat Bazaar (Qabristan Chudi Bazaar), stands as a solemn reminder of neglect and official indifference.
Once a revered resting place for the departed, the cemetery now lies in disarray, its grounds misused as stables for camels and horses, with carts and animal waste strewn across the sacred terrain.
Despite repeated outcries from Muslim community members and Waqf protection organizations, the Telangana State Waqf Board has been accused of gross negligence, raising serious concerns about its commitment to safeguarding Waqf properties.
The degradation of the site has caused anguish among residents who witness daily the desecration of a place meant for dignity and repose.
Waqf Board | A History of Legal Mandates Ignored
The graveyard’s troubles are not new. In 2013, Mr. Osman bin Mohammed Alhajari, President of the Deccan Waqf Properties Protection Society, petitioned the High Court over the illegal occupation of the land.
Justice C.V. Nagarjuna issued a clear directive to the Waqf Board, instructing it to reclaim the encroached land. The court also permitted the petitioner to return to court should the board fail to comply.
More than a decade later, the situation remains largely unchanged. The board’s response has been limited to lodging a solitary police complaint, an act seen by many as symbolic rather than substantive. Such inertia, critics argue, has emboldened encroachers, who continue to misuse the space with impunity, effectively turning it into a dumping ground and grazing field.
A Call for Accountability and Action
The recurring encroachment, compounded by the Waqf Board’s alleged apathy, has led to growing disillusionment within the community. Concerned citizens and activists are calling for urgent and resolute intervention, not only to implement the High Court’s order but to restore the graveyard’s dignity and prevent future violations.
With every day that passes, the sanctity of Oontwadi Graveyard erodes further. Unless meaningful steps are taken, the site risks being lost entirely to encroachment and indifference, a tragic fate for a place meant to embody reverence and respect.
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