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UP: Opposition demands action after Fatehpur tomb vandalised allegedly by Hindutva groups
An incident in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur, where members of Hindutva groups, including the Bajrang Dal, allegedly vandalised parts of an old mausoleum and tried to pray inside the structure on Monday, triggered an uproar in the Assembly on Tuesday, reported The Hindu. The Bajrang Dal is part of a group of Hindutva organisations led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the parent organisation of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. The Hindutva groups claimed that the structure in the Abu Nagar area of Fatehpur was constructed after razing a Hindu temple. The tomb is that of Nawab Abdul Samad Khan, an official who worked for Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, according to reports. On Monday, about 1,000 persons carrying saffron flags barged into the premises, with some using sticks to vandalise the structure, The Hindu reported. This sparked a confrontation, according to the newspaper. The Hindu quoted Bajrang Dal member Dharmendra Singh as having said on Monday morning before the tensions erupted: 'We will offer prayers here at noon. The administration will not be able to stop us. In the Hindu religion, no one can take away your right to offer prayers. It is our temple, which they are referring to as a tomb'. On Tuesday, MLAs from the Opposition Samajwadi Party demanded a debate in the Assembly on the incident, alleging that the BJP government and its affiliate groups had conspired to disturb communal harmony in the state. The Opposition parties sought accountability and action against the persons accused of the vandalism, claiming that BJP leaders in the area had incited the Hindutva groups to take over the mausoleum. The state government informed the Assembly that a first information report has been filed in the matter and legal action would be taken. Fatehpur Superintendent of Police Anoop Kumar Singh was quoted by the newspaper as saying that a case was registered against 10 identified persons and 150 unknown miscreants. Police teams have been formed to arrest the persons accused in the matter. However, the Opposition legislators accused the government of trying to protect those responsible for the violence. At a religious shrine in Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh. — Piyush Rai (@Benarasiyaa) August 11, 2025 Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Monday that the incident in Fatehpur 'was a sign of the rapidly fading mark' of the BJP. 'Whenever the BJP and its allies' true colours start to show, conspiracies are planned to disrupt harmony,' Yadav alleged on social media. 'The public has now understood this BJP tactic. Now, the public will neither get stuck in such antics nor be swayed by these incidents. Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati said on Tuesday that the state government 'should not allow any community to take any steps that could lead to communal tension there or disrupt mutual brotherhood and harmony'. The Adityanath government must take the matter seriously and take 'strict measures' if necessary, the former chief minister said on social media. Following the incident, Anoop Kumar Singh told ANI that police teams from 10 stations were deployed in the area. District Magistrate Ravindra Singh told ANI that 'both sides were made to understand the facts '. 'They were assured that law and order would be maintained,' he said. 'We have to ensure that there is no spread of rumours. The situation is peaceful.'
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
BJP condemns house arrests of leaders amid temple controversy, patriotic march
Hyderabad: The Telangana unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly condemned the house arrests of its State President N Ramchandra Rao and several other party leaders on Tuesday, calling the move undemocratic and politically motivated. The arrests were reportedly linked to a puja program at the Peddamma Temple in Banjara Hills, which was recently demolished by government and revenue officials, sparking widespread protests and demands for its reconstruction. Speaking from house arrest, Ramchandra Rao expressed shock over the police action. 'Earlier today, the police came to my residence and informed me that I am under house arrest. They said it was related to the Peddamma Temple issue. Local residents have been demanding its reconstruction and some Hindu organizations planned a puja at the site. I am surprised that the police are arresting me over programs linked to Hindu values, even though BJP is not directly involved,' he said. Rao also noted that several BJP corporators in Hyderabad were similarly detained and accused the Congress government of suppressing Hindu religious activities. Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, reacted sharply to the development, calling it an example of 'anarchy' in the state. 'What is wrong if Hindus go to the Peddamma Temple? Arresting peaceful Hindu groups and BJP workers is foolishness. The Congress government is clearly playing with Hindu sentiments for votes in the Jubilee Hills by-election,' he said, warning that the people of Telangana would soon deliver a fitting response. Senior BJP leaders, including State Vice Presidents Chinthala Ramachandra Reddy and NVVS Prabhakar, also condemned the arrests. 'The siege laid by police at the homes of BJP leaders to prevent participation in the temple program and the Har Ghar Tiranga march is a direct attack on democratic rights,' said Prabhakar. He added that the detention of BJP Mahila Morcha President Shilpa Reddy, BJYM State President Sevell Mahender, and other corporators was further proof of the Congress government's 'tyranny.' Mahila Morcha State President Mekala Shilpa Reddy criticized the police's preemptive detentions, calling them a 'stain on democracy.' She said the BJP Mahila Morcha had planned to support the Kumkumarchana program organized by Hindu groups at the temple site, and termed the obstruction of peaceful religious expression as 'foolish and undemocratic.' BJP MP DK Aruna echoed similar sentiments, accusing the Congress government of exposing its anti-democratic stance. 'Preventing BJP leaders from attending the Peddamma Temple program and the Har Ghar Tiranga march shows the extent of Congress's authoritarianism,' she said. BJP State Secretary Kasam Venkateswarlu condemned the police action, stating, 'If Hindus worship, there is lathicharge and house arrest. But those who demolished the temple are untouched. Is this Congress's idea of justice?' He warned that the public would not tolerate such actions and predicted the downfall of the Revanth Reddy-led government. Party spokesperson and media in-charge N V Subhash demanded the immediate release of Ramchandra Rao and other detained leaders. 'Preventing participation in Har Ghar Tiranga is a direct attack on democracy. The Congress government is following the same path as the previous BRS regime, which also tried to silence opposition voices through illegal arrests,' he said. Subhash emphasized that the Har Ghar Tiranga program is a patriotic initiative honoring the national flag and freedom fighters, and not a protest against the government. Rani Rudrama, BJP State Spokesperson and Har Ghar Tiranga Yatra Committee Member, condemned the arrests, stating, 'Democracy is being abolished under Congress rule. Who gave this government the right to violate the rights of opposition leaders?' The BJP has vowed to continue its protest against what it calls the Congress government's suppression of democratic and religious freedoms, asserting that the people of Telangana are watching and will respond decisively.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
How Fatehpur mausoleum became a flashpoint in less than a week
KANPUR In less than a week, the Fatehpur mausoleum has turned into a centre of communal confrontation after a body called the Math-Mandir Sangharsh Samiti, unheard of until last Thursday, claimed that the structure was originally a Thakurdwara temple. The controversy comes against the backdrop of a property dispute between a Thakur family and a Muslim healer. Supporters of Hindu organisations gather near an old tomb, claiming it is a temple and demanding to offer prayers, at Abu Nagar, in Fatehpur on Monday. (ANI Video Grab) The property, measuring 10 bighas and 17 biswas, as per land records, includes within it the mausoleum of Nawab Abdus Samad. On Monday, members of Hindu right-wing outfits allegedly vandalised the structure, seeking to offer prayers there and claiming that a temple had previously existed at the site. The Samiti had set a deadline of August 11 to 'rightfully reclaim' the structure. The memorandum submitted to the DM to this effect carried signatures of leaders from the BJP, Hindu Mahasabha, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal. A purported video of BJP city president Mukhlal Pal, which could not be independently verified, was in circulation on Sunday, appealing to people to gather at the site in Abu Nagar — in the heart of the city — for the 'beautification, expansion, and performance of religious rituals' at the Thakurdwara temple. The next day, hundreds gathered at the mausoleum defying police security and stormed the structure, damaged graves, seeking to offer prayers. The mob performed rituals inside, live-streaming them on social media, and hoisted a saffron flag atop the mausoleum. As tension prevailed in the area, police contingents from several areas, including Kotwali, Radhanagar, Malwan and Husainganj, were deployed to maintain law and order. Ten named along with 150 unnamed persons were booked for causing communal tension, according to the FIR lodged by a police sub-inspector. Those named were Dharmendra Singh (jansevak, co-convenor, Bajrang Dal, Fatehpur), Abhishek Shukla (BJP Mandal Prabhari, Haswa), Ajay Singh (BJP, Zila Panchayat member), Devnath Dhakde (former president BJP Anusuchit Jati Morcha), Vinay Tiwari (BJP municipal councillor), Pushpraj Patel (general secretary, BJP Fatehpur), Rithik Pal (former BJP municipal councillor, lawyer), Prasoon Tiwari (general secretary, BJYM), Pappu Chauhan (SP) and Manoj Trivedi, regional vice president, Hindu Mahasabha. 'It is baffling that a body (Sangharsh Samiti) born only last week created such a big issue out of a non-issue. No one had even heard of it before,' said KP Singh, a political observer in Fatehpur. Ainul Khan, a local Muslim leader, said: 'What the right-wingers did was expected. But why did Pappu Singh Chauhan, a local SP leader, join them?.' Chauhan, an SP aspirant from the Hussainganj Assembly seat, was suspended by the party on Tuesday, and he called SP an 'anti-Hindu party' in his resignation post suspension. While Mukhlal Pal appeared in a separate video on Tuesday calling for peace, photographs of Chauhan with the party's top leadership continued to circulate on social media. 'Never before last week had anyone in Fatehpur heard of the mausoleum being described as a temple,' said Shadab Khan, a local municipal councillor. The 10-bigha-plus land on which the maqbara stands was bought by Ram Naresh Singh, a former landlord, in 1970. Before that, the property — listed as a garden — was divided by a court in 1926 between the families of Vishnuman Singh, the original owner. The records from that period already mention the mausoleum. Those familiar with the property, considered prime and coveted, said the dispute began after Ram Naresh Singh's death in 2007. Mohammad Anees, a Muslim healer residing on the property, obtained an ex parte judgment in his favour in 2011, and within a year, the land was recorded in his name. Vijay Pratap Singh, Ram Naresh's son who lives in Kanpur, filed a restoration case in the civil court, and the legal battle continues. 'The issue is between me and Anees, and we are fighting it in court. Let the court decide, and I will abide by its verdict,' Singh said, adding that he would meet the district magistrate over the violence. Ajay Bhadauria, a journalist in Fatehpur, said: 'Whether the structure is a temple or a mausoleum is for the archaeological department to determine. The entire game revolves around nearly 13 bighas of land linked to the so-called mausoleum. Land mafias from both communities are attempting to grab it.' A day after the violence and vandalism, the district administration repaired the structure and the graves on Tuesday. Security has since been upgraded to a multi-layered cordon, with senior police officers stationed at the site. SP (Fatehpur) Anoop Kumar Singh said all measures to maintain peace were in place and efforts were underway to arrest the named accused.
