VHP activists protest turnstile gate at Taj again
AGRA : The activists of Vishwa Hindu Parishad protested yet again on Friday against installation of the turnstile gate at the western entry to Taj Mahal, asserting that it blocked passage to the 400-year-old Siddheshwar Mahadev temple on the western side of the monument .
However, the administration appeared prepared for such opposition, as ADM city and SP city were present on the spot with adequate force during installation work.
Later in the evening, local BJP MLA from Agra Cantt Dr. Dharmesh accompanied VHP men to a meeting with district magistrate NG Ravi Kumar. While the DM said that work for installation of the gate would continue, the VHP men said they would apprise higher authorities about the hardship due to the road to temple getting blocked .
To recall, a similar protest was held on June 10 this year and VHP men had removed the turnstile gate installed then.
As such, the district administration took no chances on Friday and adequate police force led by SP city Prashant Verma was present along with ADM City KP Singh when VHP leaders reached the western gate of Taj and opposed installation of the gate.
Interestingly, union minister for culture Dr Mahesh Sharma has been advocating the turnstile gate at Taj Mahal for smooth movement of tourists. However, VHP men stick to their stand that it blocks access to Sidheshwar temple. “Neither the Mughals nor the British attempted blocking the road to Siddheshwar temple and even during the SP and BSP regimes in the state, there was no such move. We were called for a meeting with the district magistrate where we sought an amicable solution to the issue,” said Ravi Dubey, Braj Prant general secretary of VHP and president of Siddheshwar temple management committee.
‘’The alternative route provided by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for the temple is not in good condition. We will appraise higher authorities about the situation and continue opposing installation of the turnstile gate,” he said. DM NG Ravi Kumar was, however, confident that the turnstile gate would be fixed in a couple of days.“About 90 % work has been completed and remaining would be undertaken in a couple of days,” he said , assuring that he would get the alternative route repaired after discussion with the ASI .