AhlulBayt News Agency: The confrontation occurred at the tomb of Nawab Abdul Samad, an 18th-century monument in Uttar Pradesh, where a group of women linked to a right-wing Hindu organization arrived on the Hindu festival of Dev Diwali and tried to conduct worship, claiming the mausoleum was once a Shiva temple.
Police intervened before the rituals could proceed, arresting and filing charges against 20 participants.
According to officials, the group ignored administrative warnings and attempted to breach security at what is legally recognized as a protected heritage site. “They forcibly tried to perform worship and obstructed the work of law enforcement,” a senior officer said. “An FIR has been registered to prevent further escalation.”
Videos circulating online showed the women chanting Hindu slogans and performing aarti beside the tomb — acts widely seen as deliberate attempts to provoke the Muslim community. Local residents described the episode as an organized campaign, not a spontaneous act of devotion.
Muslim community leaders condemned the attempt as part of a growing pattern of religious intimidation under the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, which has faced repeated accusations of erasing Islamic heritage and rebranding Muslim-built monuments as Hindu temples.
“The tomb of Nawab Abdul Samad is an integral part of India’s shared cultural history,” said Maulana Ahmed Qureshi, a cleric from the region. “Violating such sites threatens both faith and heritage.”
This is not the first attack on the site. In August 2025, mobs reportedly affiliated with Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Hindu Mahasabha vandalized the structure, hoisting saffron flags — a symbol of Hindu supremacy — and performing unauthorized rituals.
Analysts say these incidents reflect a wider ideological project to recast India’s Muslim heritage within a Hindu majoritarian framework. Similar disputes have erupted over the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi and the Shahi Idgah Mosque in Mathura, where right-wing groups claim ancient temples once stood.
“Each episode follows the same script — a symbolic act of takeover under the guise of faith,” said historian Zafar Hussain. “It’s an attempt to rewrite history, one monument at a time.”
Authorities have increased security around the tomb and urged residents to remain calm, warning that communal tensions remain high. For many observers, however, the repeated targeting of Muslim heritage sites signals a deepening erosion of India’s secular framework — one that once promised equality for all faiths, but now stands tested by the politics of exclusion.
Your Comment