As calls for the removal of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s grave intensify, the police administration has stepped up security, making it mandatory for visitors to furnish their identity cards before entering the site in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, an official said on Monday.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged protests at various government offices during the day and submitted memorandums for the removal of Aurangzeb’s grave in Khuldabad.
Aurangzeb is remembered in Maharashtra for his battles with the Marathas, who resisted his expansionist ambitions. Maratha warrior king Shivaji Maharaj’s son, Sambhaji, was captured, tortured, and executed on his orders.
The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar rural police department has implemented multiple security posts from the entry point to Khuldabad town to the grave site.
An official said a State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) company of 50 policemen, 30 personnel from local police and 20 Home Guards have been deployed at various points and the grave site.
Tourists visiting the grave now have to write their names in a visitors register kept with a team of Home Guards and have to furnish identity documents, he said.
Parvez Kabeer Ahmed, the caretaker of the grave, said, “The situation here is peaceful, and people should not believe in rumours. Footfall of visitors has gone down after the demands to demolish the grave have come up. The footfall is usually low during Ramzan. Nearly 100 people visit daily, but the number has gone down since the issue was raised.” The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) staged protests at government offices in different parts of Maharashtra and submitted memorandums for the removal of Aurangzeb’s grave.
In the memorandum addressed to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the VHP stated that Aurangzeb had killed two sons of Sikh guru Guru Gobind Singh because they refused to convert, tortured and killed Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and demolished temples in Kashi, Mathura, Somnath.
“Any memorial of Aurangzeb is a symbol of pain and slavery, so the grave should be demolished completely,” it said.
In case of government inaction, the VHP warned that it would march to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district and demolish the grave.
The right-wing organisation held similar agitations in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nagpur and suburban areas of Mumbai.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
