Raj Bhavan, Eden Gardens, and Fort William in Kolkata are not the properties of the Waqf Board - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
October 4, 2023
A post claiming that Raj Bhavan, Eden Gardens, and Fort William in Kolkata are the properties of the Waqf board and that the West Bengal government pays rent for these to the Waqf board is being shared on social media. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Raj Bhawan, Eden Gardens, and Fort William in Kolkata are the properties of the Waqf board and the West Bengal government pays rent for these to the board.
Fact: Raj Bhavan is the official residence of the Governor of West Bengal owned by the state government. Eden Gardens and Fort William are owned by the Indian army. The former is a cricket stadium and the latter is a military establishment of the eastern command of the Indian Army. Hence, the claim made in the post is False.
On a relevant keyword search of the claims made in the post, we found that there are no official documents stating that the Waqf board owns these properties. Moreover, the board is a statutory body where individuals or organizations donate property or funds for charitable, or community purposes
Raj Bhavan was built during 1799-1803 by British rulers as a residence of governor general. It is now the residence and secretariat of the Governor of Bengal and is owned by the state government.
Eden Gardens stadium was in possession of lord Auckland, the governor-general of India in the 1840s. Post-independence, the ground was transferred to the Government of India, and the eastern command of the Indian Army took charge of the entire land holding. The entire stadium and the surrounding land are administered by the Defence Ministry. However, The Cricket Association of Bengal took the lease of Eden Gardens.
Fort William was built by the British East India Company in 1696 CE. Post-British era, the Indian government transformed this into a military base for the Indian army.
To sum up, Raj Bhavan, Eden Gardens, and Fort William in Kolkata are not the properties of Waqf Board.