Mughal ‘descendant’ visits makeshift Ram temple
LUCKNOW: Prince Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, who claims to be the sixth direct descendant of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, held a meeting with prominent saints and mahants of Ayodhya on Wednesday to discuss construction of the Ram temple.
The Hyderabad-based Tucy had claimed ownership of Babri Masjid on Tuesday and moved an application with minorities welfare minister Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, seeking his appointment as mutawalli of the Babri Masjid property in Ayodhya.
He also sent a letter to the Sunni Central Waqf Board, requesting his appointment as mutawalli of the Babri Masjid.
On Tuesday, Tucy submitted a DNA report conducted by German and Russian scientists sent to a laboratory in Berlin declaring him a descendant of Bahadur Shah Zafar.
He also claimed to be the mutawalli of Dargah Hazrat Shahinshahe Aurangzeb Alamgir situated at Khuldabad in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
Though there was no proof of his ancestry, a 2002 documentary on the last Mughals mentions that his mother claimed to be a fifth generation descendant of Bahadur Shah.
In 2005, he had also claimed ownership of the Taj Mahal because of his Mughal lineage.
During his visit to Ayodhya on Wednesday, he held a meeting with Mahant Janmejay Das of of Janaki Ghat, Mahant Suresh Das of Digambar Akhara, Mahanat Sushil Das of Kakhadi Akhara and Mahanat Dinendra Das of the Nirmohi Akhara.
He also visited the makeshift temple of Ramlala at the disputed site.Talking to HT, Prince Tucy said, “I held discussions with the saints of Ayodhya for an amicable solution to the Ram temple issue”.
“The Babri Masjid Action Committee (BAMC) and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) are creating hurdles in an amicable solution to the Ram Janmabhoomi and Babri Masjid issue. The leaders of BAMC and AIMPLB should understand that tension over the Ram temple will not only disturb the communal harmony but hurt the interests of the Muslim community as well,” he said.
“I will get the views of the top Islamic scholars of Mecca as well as descendants of Imam Hussain on the dispute. I have urged the Islamic scholars in Saudi Arabia to visit Uttar Pradesh and Ayodhya to give their opinion on the construction of the temple. I hope the BAMC and the AIMPLB will respect the opinion of the senior Islamic scholars,” he said.
“Today, I visited the disputed area to have glimpse of the makeshift temple that has been constructed on the spot. According to Islamic law, Masjid cannot be constructed at the spot where another community has constructed a religious structure,” he said. To a question, Tucy said certain sections of Muslim leaders were trying to create a rift between Hindus and Muslims to serve their vested interest. “Along with Hindu saints, I met prominent Muslim scholars and residents in Ayodhya, all welcomed my initiative for an amicable solution to the dispute,” he said.
› Today, I visited the disputed area to have glimpse of the makeshift temple. According to Islamic law, Masjid cannot be constructed at the spot where another community has constructed a religious structure PRINCE YAKUB HABEEBUDDIN TUCY, Mughal descendant