Mumbai: The ASI on Thursday partially enclosed Aurangzeb’s tomb in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district with tin sheets on two sides following calls for its removal.
The district administration made the decision two days ago after Collector Dilip Swami and SP Vinaykumar Rathod inspected the tomb in Khultabad with ASI officials.
Tin sheets and wire fencing were placed on two sides of the structure, with plans to install a circular fence around the tomb. A senior district official explained to the Hindustan Times, “The green net covering was damaged, making the tomb visible to visitors at the nearby Khwaja Syed Zainuddin Chishti grave, so tin sheets were installed.”
The decision came after VHP and Bajrang Dal protests demanding Aurangzeb’s tomb’s removal led to violence in Nagpur. Interest in the 17th-century Mughal ruler resurfaced following the success of Chhaava, a film on Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, who was executed on Aurangzeb’s orders.
Violence broke out in Nagpur’s Chitnis Park, Mahal area, on Monday evening around 7:30 pm after rumours of a Quran burning during protests by right-wing groups demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb. The mob hurled petrol bombs, and stones, and attacked police and civilians with weapons, as stated in multiple FIRs.
As per reports, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis vowed to “dig the accused out of their graves” as police arrested Fahim Khan, a local politician and activist, suspected to be the mastermind behind the clashes.
