BJP MP from Jamnagar, Poonamben Maadan, has issued clarification that the Waqf Board has staked claim on Shiyal Bet in Amreli and not the two islands in Bet (or Beyt) Dwarka as reported earlier. Shiyal Bet is an island off Amreli coast in Gujarat which is accessible only through boat. Shiyal Bet has a population of little over 5,000 people. Only in 2016 did the village get electricity connection, 70 years after India’s independence.
At the eastern end of Shiyal Bet, there is a rocky island called Savai Bet, which is detached during high tide. There is a tomb of a Pir (Muslim saint) called Savai Pir on that island. The petition was for the Savai Pir Dargah. Further, local media reports suggest that the application in high court was not filed by Waqf Board but a private Sunni trust that had filed the petition.
Shiyal Bet is part of Amreli district while Bet Dwarka is part of Devbhoomi Dwarka district.
Speaking to Gujarati news channel GSTV, Maadan said that she spoke to the law minister regarding the case and added that prima facie it appears the confusion was created over the usage of ‘Krishnanagari’ by the bench in Gujarat High Court in response to the application to stake claim of the island. She said that because of the reference to ‘Krishnanagari’, people might have wrongly assumed it to be Bet Dwarka, but there is still confusion. “However, as long as we are concerned, we are watchful of the developing situation. I assure you that we will not anyone stake claim on the island at Bet Dwarka which belongs to Shri Krishna and his devotees,” she said.
Earlier, Gujarati newspaper Divya Bhaskar had reported that Waqf Board had written an application to Gujarat High Court staking claim on the ownership of two islands in Bet Dwarka in Devbhoomi Dwarka. The report stated that the Waqf committee in its application claimed that the ownership of two islands on Bet Dwarka island belongs to the Waqf Board. On hearing this, the Gujarat High Court expressed disproval and hit out, “Are you aware of what you are saying? How can Waqf Board claim ownership of land in Krishnanagari?” and refused to hear the application.
Subsequently, outrage poured in on social media and Jamnagar MP Poonamben Maadan has now issued clarification that the application was for Shiyal Bet in Amreli and not Bet Dwarka in Devbhoomi Dwarka.
