Waqf distances itself from committee`s clean chit to Durga Nagpal

Lucknow: The UP Sunni Central Waqf Board has distanced itself from one of its committees giving a clean chit to suspended IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal on the issue of demolishing the wall of an under-construction mosque in Gautam Budh Nagar.

"The Sunni Central Waqf Board has nothing to do with the claims of secretary of Syed Bhureshah Committee who has given a statement in the media on the role of Durga Sakthi Nagpal", chairman of the board, Zufur Farooqui told a news agency today. "There are about 1.50 lakh such committees affiliated to us and their statements cannot be taken as the stand of the Waqf board," Farooqui said. "The secretary of the Bhureshah committee, Kadir Khan Jayswal, is not a member of the board and his statement in this regard is his individual view," he added. Jayswal, who visited the village after the July 27 incident, has said that the IAS officer had no role in bringing down the wall and had just advised villagers to follow due procedure. He also said sand mining and land mafias had joined hands to teach Nagpal a lesson since she had initiated the process of reclaiming Waqf board`s land that had been encroached upon. To a question on whether he felt that the suspension of Nagpal was justified, Farooqi said it was an administrative decision and he cannot comment on it. He, however, said he was opposed to the pulling down of the mosque`s wall. He said he would look into the matter after Eid. PTI