Following an incident of vandalism of a tomb located in Abu Nagar, Rediya locality of Sadar tehsil in the Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh last week, Commissioner Prayagraj, Vijay Vishwas Pant and IG Range Prayagraj, Ajay Mishra, have submitted a detailed report about the disputed structure to the administration. The 80-page report was prepared by the officers in six days after the incident.
The report provides the details of the government records of the land (Khasra number 753), in which the structure is referred to as Maqbara Mangi and is recognised as a national property. It also discloses all the details relating to the registry, ownership of the land, how it came to be recognised as the national property and its registration with the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board.
Along with the details of the land on which the disputed structure is built, details of plot number 1159, adjacent to the tomb, have also been given in the report. As per reports, among the 23 landholders of plot number 1159, Thakurji Virajman Mandir is registered at number 6. The report is said to have highlighted several lapses of the then government and administration. The government has not been made a party in the case. The administration had also sought a report on the alleged police inaction in stopping the Hindu organisations from vandalising the structure.
Meanwhile, security has been ramped up in the area around the disputed structure, as the Math Mandir Sanrakshan Sangharsh Samiti announced on Saturday (16th August) that it would hold a ‘kirtan’ (devotional singing) at the site. Prohibitory orders have been implemented in the area as locals have been asked not to step out of their homes without a valid reason.
Background of the case
Some members of a Hindu organisation vandalised the tomb on 11th August by some members of a Hindu organisation. Members of the Math Mandir Sanrakshan Sangharsh Samiti and some BJP activists said that the tomb was built over an ancient Hindu temple belonging to Thakurji (Lord Krishna) and Lord Shiva. They said that the lotus patterns and trident motifs inside the building were proof that the structure was an ancient Hindu temple.
The situation emerged after the Math Mandir Sanrakshan Sangharsh Samiti sent a letter to the administration on 7th August seeking permission to “clean and beautify” the structure, saying that it is an ancient Hindu temple. After the permission was denied, a group of members of the organisation breached the police barricades on 11th August and entered the premises. They hoisted saffron flags, performed Hindu rituals, and vandalised graves in the premises.
The damaged portion of the structure was repaired, and security forces were deployed. Media access to the site had also been restricted. The police have registered three FIRs in connection with the incident. Around 140 suspects have reportedly been identified by the police from video footage, but no arrests have been made so far.
District Magistrate Ravindra Singh and Superintendent of Police Anoop Singh went to inspect the site on Saturday to review the security arrangements. Over 300 police personnel, two platoons of the Provincial Armed Constabulary, and Special Task Force teams have been deployed within a one-kilometre radius. The area is also being watched closely through aerial surveillance.
