Three men smeared back paint on Akbar Road signboard in Delhi on Thursday, March 19, claiming that a statue of Hindu king Maharana Pratap was vandalised.
The men demanded police take action on the vandalisation of the statue located at Kashmere Gate ISBT before raising slogans of ‘Jai Bhavani’.
A video of the incident has emerged on social media platforms where one of the men, identified as Amit Rathore is heard saying they will not tolerate any insult to the Rajput king. “The police administration and the Delhi government are trying to suppress the incident that happened at ISBT Kashmiri Gate. Those who are guilty should be arrested, and immediate action should be taken against them,” he said.
The men claimed they would go all over the city to remove all signboards that hadthe Mughal emperor’s names.
Vijay, the one in the video smearing the paint on the signboard is heard saying, “We are continuously removing signboards of invaders like Akbar, Babur and Humayun, and we are trying to make the government open its eyes and take a decision… The attackers raped our sisters and mothers, hanged the from trees, demolished temples, destoyed the unity of India. The question is why are only we doing this, where are the other people of the society?”
They pasted the Rajput king Maharana Pratap photo on it.
Nearly a month ago, soon after the release of the Bollywood movie Chavva, a similar incident occurred where the signboards of Akbar Road and Humayun Road in the national capital were defaced on February 22. Protestors pasted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on it.
Many incidents have been reported after the release of the Vicky Kaushal-starrer Chavva, a period drama based on the life of Shivaji’s son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj and his torture and ultimate torture by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
The movie has generated online hate towards the Muslim community. Many, including politicians from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have demanded to demolish Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar (formerly Aurangabad) district.
The demand has sparked a political storm, mainly in Maharashtra, where chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said that he has no problem with the demolition, but it can only be done through a legal route as the tomb is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
However, he later said that the demolition could not take place as it is the state government’s responsibility the protect Aurangzeb’s grave, despite his history of persecution. “I assure you, if any attempt is made to glorify his legacy through ‘mahima mandan’, it will not succeed,” he said.
Echoing the same sentiments, state deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde had said the people still praising Aurangzeb are “traitors”, noting the Mughal emperor had sought to conquer the state and committed various atrocities.
Soon after, on March 17, Nagpur district in Maharastra saw violence between the Muslim community and the police force. As many as 50 people were arrested, including seven minors, in connection with the violence.
On the same day, right-wing organisations like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal staged a demonstration in Nagpur demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb.
They submitted memorandums at several government offices for the removal of the tomb located in the Khuldabad area. They burnt effigies of Aurangzeb and raised slogans of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.
As a result, the police administration stepped up security, making it mandatory for visitors to furnish their identity cards before entering the site in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district.
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