Fatehpur (Uttar Pradesh): BJP to file petition claiming the mausoleum is originally a Shiva temple!

On August 11, Hindutva activists had demolished a tomb here

(A mausoleum refers to a structure built at the burial site of a Muslim individual.)

Pune, August 18 (News Service)

On August 11, activists from Hindu organizations vandalized a tomb at the site of Nawab Abdul Samad’s mausoleum, claiming it was originally a Shiva temple, and performed worship of Lord Shiva there. Following this, the BJP has announced that it will file a petition in court asserting ownership of the site as an ancient Shiva temple. The information was shared by Mukhlal Pal, BJP’s district president of Fatehpur.

Pal stated that historical documents related to the temple are being collected. On Janmashtami as well, Hindu groups had announced plans to perform rituals there, claiming the site was originally a temple. However, when the administration objected, they instead worshipped a photograph of the site, symbolically declaring Hindu ownership.

Currently, the structure is under police custody. Due to the dispute, the prohibitory order (Section 144) that was in place until August 17 has been extended for two months. The order will remain in effect during all upcoming festivals in this period.

It was a temple before 2012!

Before 2012, this ancient structure was a temple where the Hindu community regularly performed worship. On Hindu land, Muslims later built their religious site. The land belongs to a Hindu named Ram Naresh Singh. Inside the structure, there are carvings of lotus flowers and tridents — symbols found only in Hindu places of worship. The building also has a chain meant for hanging a temple bell, something that is never present in Muslim religious sites.

Editorial Perspective

It has come to light that many Islamic monuments were originally Hindu temples. The Hindu community believes that the government should enact a law to establish Hindu control over all such so-called Islamic structures — so that Hindus don’t have to individually prove ownership of each monument, and historical justice can be restored.