Congress faces backlash as Army halts Shaikpet graveyard plan

Congress government’s plan to allocate 2,500 sq yards of land at Shaikpet for a Muslim burial ground has hit a roadblock after Army officials claimed ownership, halting all activity. The move, seen as an attempt to win Muslim voter support ahead of the Jubilee Hills bypoll, has angered residents who also criticised the plot as too small for long-term community needs

Hyderabad: The Congress government faced significant embarrassment and backlash after an obvious but hurried attempt to appease Muslim voters ahead of the Jubilee Hills by-elections backfired.

The State government’s move to allocate land for a Muslim burial ground at Shaikpet failed to take off, when Army officials descended on the spot, claiming ownership of the land and stopping all activity.

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The controversy arose after the State government, via a Government Order and the TS Wakf Board, allocated 2,500 square yards of land at ‘Ghairabad Masjid’, Shaikpet, for a graveyard. This decision is being seen by many as a direct response to a long-standing demand from Muslim residents in the Jubilee Hills constituency, particularly those in Borabanda, Yousufguda, Erragadda and Shaikpet. The allocation was also aimed to secure electoral support in the upcoming bypoll.

Advisor to Government for Minority Affairs Mohd Ali Shabbir had announced the allocation on Sunday. Shortly thereafter, Telangana Minorities Residential Educational Institutions Society (TMREIS) chairman Faheem Qureshi and AIMIM Karwan MLA Kauser Mohiuddin, along with other local leaders, visited the site.

However, the political plan quickly unravelled. The same day, a team of Army officials visited the spot and ordered the community to stay away, arguing that the land belonged to the Defence Ministry and that no work could proceed until the ownership dispute was resolved. The Army was reportedly preparing to fence the land to prevent unauthorised access.

The incident has left Muslim residents seething with anger, especially at the TS Wakf Board and Congress leaders. The residents blamed both for failing to do proper homework before the public announcement.

The local residents also stressed that the 2,500 square yards allocated was fundamentally insufficient for the long-term needs of the community in Borabanda, Erragadda and surrounding areas.

Syed Abdul Qadeer, a local resident of Sultannagar in Erragadda, said Muslims in several localities under Jubilee Hills constituency were demanding adequate land for the graveyard.

“What will we do with 2,500 square yards of land? It won’t be sufficient in the long run. There is land at Gutala Begumpet and other places. We demand more than two acres of land from the government,” said Abdul Qadeer.

Mohd Ghouse Pasha, a resident of Borabanda, said they were demanding the land for a burial ground for several years. “We have lived all our lives here in Borabanda. We want land somewhere nearby. There are huge parcels of government land here. What is the use of allocating the burial ground far away from our houses?” he asked.

Another resident, Nasreen Begum of SRT Nagar, complained of existing nearby graveyards facing a severe shortage of space and being prone to drainage water inundation during monsoon. For the Muslim voters of Jubilee Hills, the priority remains securing a large, adequate parcel of land for a burial ground within the constituency limits.