On Monday, Shadab Shams, the newly elected president of the Uttarakhand Waqf Board exposed the activities undertaken at the Piran Kaliyar Sharif, a centre of faith for crores of people. Shams said that Piran Kaliyar Sarif, which is located in Uttarakhand’s Roorkee, had become a hub of the sex racket.
Shadab Shams was unanimously elected as the president of the 10-member-board on September 7. Shams has alleged that many other illegal activities like human trafficking and drugs are also carried out at the Piran Kaliyar Sharif, a place that is regarded as sacred by a large section of people.
According to the President of the Uttarakhand Waqf Board, Chief Minister Pushkar Dhami has directed that cases of human trafficking, drugs, and prostitution in connection with shrines be investigated.
Earlier on September 11, Shams had announced that the board plans to destroy unauthorized constructions on its lands across the state as soon as possible. He had claimed that Waqf properties worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore were being unlawfully occupied throughout Uttarakhand. “Thousands of acres of Waqf land are illegally occupied in different parts of the state. We want to free our properties from the clutches of the mafia to make them useful for people they are meant for”, Shams had said.
To note, the Uttarakhand Waqf Board is now headed by BJP leader Shadab Shams. Shams was elected unopposed as president in the election held at the secretariat on Wednesday. Shams, who was BJP’s state spokesperson, had earlier served as vice-chairman of the 15-point program implementation committee. After being elected president, Shams, along with other board members, met Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami. Later, he held discussions with the waqf board members and officials on various topics.
