High security at Aurangzeb tomb in Sambhajinagar after Hindu outfit’s ‘Babri-like fate’ threat

Heavy security deployed at Aurangzeb’s tomb in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar amid Hindu outfits Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal’s have threat of a “Babri Masjid-like fate” if its demand to remove the structure is not met by the state government.

Security personnel were seen stationed at the Aurangzeb tomb on Monday. Bajrang Dal members also staged protest in front of Nagpur District Collector’s office on Monday over their demand to remove Aurangzeb’s tomb

Bajrang Dal leader Nitin Mahajan on Sunday demanded the removal of the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Maharashtra’s Sambhajinagar, warning that if the government does not act, the tomb will face the same fate as the Babri Masjid.

The Babri Masjid, a mosque located in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, was demolished on December 6, 1992, by a large group of Hindu activists called ‘Kar Sevak’. The demolition was led by VHP, Bajrang Dal and other organisations.

In the years that followed, legal battles over the ownership of the site continued, culminating in a 2019 Supreme Court ruling which awarded the land to Hindus for the construction of a Ram Mandir (temple) while directing that an alternative plot of land be provided to Muslims for the construction of a mosque. The construction of the Ram Mandir is now underway at the site of the former Babri Masjid.

“In Sambhajinagar, a (Aurangzeb’s grave) grave is being worshipped. The grave of Sambhaji’s murderer is being built… When such graves are worshipped, then the society also develops in that manner… At that time, we were helpless… but now Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal are demanding that it should be removed… On March 17, we will demand to the government that it should be removed… We will greet the government if they remove it, but if that does not happen, then VHP and Bajrang Dal will come out on the streets and launch a huge agitation,” Mahajan said in an interview with news agency ANI on Saturday.

Mahajan further stated, “And we know what happens when the Hindu community carries out an agitation concerning its existence, we all saw what happened in Ayodhya to remove the Babri structure… If the government does not remove the grave, then we will do Karseva and do so ourselves.”

Earlier, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Goshamahal MLA T Raja Singh had written to Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat seeking detailed information on the funds spent by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on the maintenance of Aurangzeb’s tomb. Singh’s letter, dated March 15, requested an itemized breakdown of expenses incurred over the years, including maintenance, security, and other related costs.

Congress says VHP, Bajrang Dal don’t want peace

Reacting to the controversy, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday said that Bajrang Dal and VHP don’t want the people of Maharashtra to live peacefully.

“They (VHP and Bajrang Dal) are left with nothing else to do…They don’t want the people of Maharashtra to live peacefully…They want to slow the development pace of the state…I would like to say to them that Aurangzeb was here for 27 years, and he was not able to do anything to the state; now, what will they get after the removal of his grave,” ANI quoted Wadettiwar.

Congress national spokesperson Atul Londhe Patil said that the situation is tense in Maharashtra, adding that law and order have collapsed in the state and listing issues that he said the government was hiding.

“Farmers are committing suicide not getting electricity and water… Unemployment has increased… To hide all of these issues, the BJP comes up with new issues of Hindus and Muslims… They diverted people from PF and pension schemes to the share market… and now, within 5 months, the common man has become poor… The people are entangled in historical topics to divert their attention from the main issues… The people are not going to fall for it this time. They have to discuss the real issues,” Patil said.