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Woman held for waving saffron flag inside Taj Mahal
The woman Meera Rathore had made a similar attempt last Monday (on July 29), when she reached a barricade guarded by state policemen. They stopped her from moving towards the Taj Mahal because she was carrying ‘kanwar’ on her shoulder and claimed that it had Ganga water brought from Soron in Kasganj district to be offered at Taj Mahal.
Agra On the third Monday of Sawan month, a woman activist of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha again claimed to conduct ‘jalabhishek’ and waved saffron flag to press the point that Taj Mahal was originally a Shiva temple called Tejomahalaya.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), entrusted with the security on Taj Mahal premises, nabbed the woman while she was waving the saffron flag from the white marble platform around the main mausoleum and took her for questioning. But she was not handed over to Tajganj police when reports last came.
The woman Meera Rathore had made a similar attempt last Monday (on July 29), when she reached a barricade guarded by state policemen. They stopped her from moving towards the Taj Mahal because she was carrying ‘kanwar’ on her shoulder and claimed that it had Ganga water brought from Soron in Kasganj district to be offered at Taj Mahal.
On the third Monday today, she returned posing as a tourist and entered Taj Mahal after buying ticket. With a water bottle in her hand, she climbed the platform around main mausoleum of Taj Mahal and waved saffron flag towards one of her associate on Taj Mahal premises who videographed the act and made it viral.
Earlier, on Saturday last, two men were held for offering “Gangajal” inside Taj. A case was registered against them and they were sent to judicial custody. They were identified as Vinesh Chaudhary and Shyam Babu from Mathura .They also claimed to be associated with Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) .
They said that they offered holy water in plastic bottles considering Taj Mahal as ‘Tejo Mahalay’—a Shiv temple.
A case was registered against the two at Tajganj police station on the complaint of CISF. They were presented before the CJM, Agra, and later sent to judicial custody.
Both were booked under section 223 (disobedience of order by public servant), 298 (disturbing religious assembly) and 299 (outraging religious feelings) of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Tajganj police station on the complaint of CISF inspector at Taj Mahal Jitendra Kumar Tiwari.
As per the FIR, both the accused poured water on the grill gate covering the staircase leading to the basement. They also raised slogans in the prohibited area while posing a threat to communal harmony.
Right wing organisations have time and again claimed that Taj Mahal was originally a Shiva temple.
A case is pending before an Agra court where certain petitioners, including lawyers, have sought stopping of ‘namaz’ at the mosque within the 17th century monument and allowing offering of prayers by Hindus after declaring it a Shiva temple.
