Ajmer Dargah row: All about the petition claiming there's a Shiva temple in the Sufi shrine
A local court on Wednesday took up a plea filed by a Hindu outfit's leader claiming a Shiva temple exists within Ajmer's Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah shrine.
A Hindu outfit's claim of the existence of a Shiva temple inside the revered Dargah of sufi saint Moinuddin Chishti in Ajmer has sparked a political controversy, with the Opposition saying that it is just a tactic of the government to divert people's attention from issues that matter.
Vishnu Gupta, President of the National Hindu Army who had filed a case claiming there is a Lord Shiva temple within Ajmer's Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti Dargah shrine, on Wednesday said a local court in the city has directed that notice be issued to three parties in the civil suit.
Ajmer Dargah row | Key points
What the plea seeks: Plaintiff Vishnu Gupta said they demand that the Ajmer Dargah be declared as “Sankat Mochan Mahadev Temple” and if the dargah has any kind of registration, it should be cancelled. Gupta also demanded that a survey is done through Archeological Survey of India (ASI), adding that Hindus should be given the right to worship there.
Ajmer court issues notice: An Ajmer court has ordered the issuance of notices to three parties, including the Dargah Committee, the ASI, and the Ministry of Minority Affairs, in response to the petition claiming there is a Shiva temple inside Ajmer Dargah, Syed Naseruddin Chishty, Chairman of the All India Sufi Sajjadanashin Council said.
Next court hearing: Vishnu Gupta's advocate, Yogesh Siroja, said that the suit was heard in the court of Civil Judge Manmohan Chandel. The suit, claiming that there is a Shiva temple in the Dargah, was filed in September seeking directions to start the worship in the temple again. The next hearing is on December 20.
Sambhal violence: The development comes close on the heels of violence that broke out on November 24 during a court-ordered survey of a mosque in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal, killing four people and injuring many including policemen. A local court had ordered survey of a mosque which petitioners said was built after destroying an old temple.
Owaisi says BJP-RSS spreading hatred: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) over the Ajmer Dargah row, highlighting the history of the place. Owaisi said that previous Prime Ministers from Jawaharlal Nehru have sent "chadars" to the dargah which has been there for 800 years. "Why have BJP-RSS spread this hatred regarding mosques and Dargahs?" Owaisi said.
Khadims' body flags concerns: A body representing the 'Khadims' of the Ajmer dargah condemned the plea seeking to declare the shrine of Khawaja Gharib Nawaz as a temple, saying right-wing forces were trying to "isolate" Muslims and "disrupt" communal harmony in the country. Syed Sarwar Chishti, secretary of Anjuman Syed Zadgan, a body representing the Khadims (caretakers) of the Ajmer dargah, said the body should be made a party to the case. "The community accepted the decision in the Babri Masjid case and we believed nothing will happen after that but unfortunately such things are happening again and again. The example of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh is in front of us. This must stop," news agency PTI quoted him as saying.
BJP says sensitive matter: BJP MP Ravi Kishan on Thursday called the issue a "sensitive matter" and said that the investigation will be conducted and facts will be presented. "It is a sensitive matter. If the court has accepted the plea, then we should not comment on this matter. It has become a matter of investigation...So, the investigation will be conducted and facts will be presented," Kishan told news agency ANI.
Opposition slams govt: Reacting to the civil suit over Ajmer Sharif dargah, Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav on Thursday said those who are in power are "working in one direction" to divert people's attention and trying to take the country backward. Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday termed the development "worrisome" and wondered where the country was being taken for political dividends. In a post on X, Sibal said, "Worrisome. The latest claim: Shiv Temple at Ajmer Dargah. Where are we taking this country? And why? For political dividends!"
