Four arrested for offering namaz at Taj Mahal mosque
AGRA: Four tourists, including three from Telangana and one from Azamgarh, were arrested for offering ‘ namaz’ at the mosque situated on the premises of Taj Mahal in Agra on Wednesday. A case was registered against them at Tajganj police station. They were presented before the court on Thursday and were later released on bail.
“On Wednesday evening at around 7 pm, the staff of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) found six people offering ‘namaz’ at the mosque within Taj Mahal. CISF is the body entrusted the duty of internal security at Taj Mahal and thus effort was made to nab them but two of them escaped taking advantage of the crowd within the monument premises but four were arrested,” stated Vikas Kumar, the Superintendent of Police (city) at Agra.
“The four nabbed by CISF staff were handed over to Tajganj station police and a case was registered under section 153 (wantonly giving provocation to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code on the complaint of CISF. Three of them are from Telangana and one hails from Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh,” stated SP City.
“Matter is being investigated and required action will follow,” SP (city) said.
However, Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officials in Agra are now finding themselves in an awkward position with the right-wing Hindu bodies complaining that on the one hand they are not being allowed to offer ‘puja’ in what they claim to be ‘Tejo Mahalaya’ (a Shiv temple) and on the other hand the authorities are allowing people to offer ‘namaz’ on days other than Friday.
“Those violating the Supreme Court orders by offering namaz at the mosque in Taj Mahal should be booked under National Security Act (NSA). If such a violation continues, we will also offer ‘ puja’ at Tejo Mahalaya, said Govind Parashar, national president of Rashtriya Hindu Parishad (Bharat). “Our seers who came in wearing saffron are stopped at Taj Mahal gates and are not allowed entry but such violations by those offering namaz are allowed time and again,” added Parashar.
An official from the Taj Mahal Masjid Intezamia Committee said that ASI has failed to provide them with a copy of the Supreme Court order.
“We have been asking the ASI to provide us with a copy of the Supreme Court order which says that ‘namaz’ is prohibited at the mosque on Taj Mahal compound on days other than Friday. No such copy has been provided to us nor there is any mention of it at the mosque in Taj Mahal or on the notice board,” says Syed Ibrahim Zaidi, claiming to be the chairman of Taj Mahal Masjid Intezamia Committee.
ASI officials made it clear that no new practice can be started at the monument.
“No new practice can be started at the monument like Taj Mahal and even Supreme Court has endorsed the view that only Friday namaz is permitted at Taj Mahal. Yet confusion was created by those who have failed to convince Supreme Court. ASI cannot allow namaz on days other than Friday at a mosque within Taj Mahal premises as it is precedence set,” said Raj Kumar Patel, the superintending archaeologist for Agra circle. He claimed that it is aptly mentioned at the Taj Mahal that namaz is allowed only on Friday. It is noteworthy that the Taj Mahal remains close on Friday for the general public but the Muslim cardholders residing in nearby areas are allowed entry into Taj Mahal on Friday afternoon to offer namaz.