Agra's Mayor Naveen Jain instructs for removal of Aurangzeb's name from all public places

The National President of the Mayor's council and Agra's Mayor Naveen Jain has instructed all mayors to replace all plaques and remove the nameplates with places named after Aurangzeb. The decision comes in the wake of the Gyanvapi Mosque case gaining national headlines in the light of the petition to allow Hindu devotees to perform religious rituals on a daily basis. It's pertinent to note that it has historically been claimed that a part of the overall Kashi-Vishwanath complex was destroyed by Aurangzeb to construct the Gyanvapi Mosque. However, both Hindus and Muslims have been contesting over the presence of their respective places of worship at the site from time immemorial. Moreover, AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi also received a lot of backlash after visiting and paying respects to the tomb of Aurangzeb in Maharashtra's Aurangabad.

Naveen Jain stated, "Being the national president of the Mayor's Council, I have told all the mayors that if there is a plaque of Aurangzeb in the area or there is any road named after him, then it should be removed.'' Jain further said that ''Aurangzeb was a cruel ruler who destroyed Hindu temples and compelled people of the Hindu community to convert to Islam, he should have no place in India.'' 

AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi visits Aurangzeb's tomb

Brother of AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, Akbaruddin Owaisi on May 12 visited the tomb of Aurangzeb in Maharashtra's Aurangabad and bowed his head before the tomb, which triggered a national debate. Notably, Aurangzeb had captured and brutally killed Chhatrapati Shivaji's son Chhatrapati Sambhaji. 

Maharashtra's former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came down heavily on Shiv Sena and questioned the party's silence after Akbaruddin Owaisi's visit to the tomb. He said, "The murderer of the same king Sambhaji, Aurangzeb, his grave was visited by Akbaruddin Owaisi in Aurangabad. He bowed his head before him, and you stand there and watch him do that. Have some shame."

'PM's responsibility to protect the tomb': Asaduddin Owaisi

Asaduddin Owaisi responding to Fadnavis' comments said, "I don't respond to such Tom, Dick and Harry...Aurangzeb grave is a protected monument and It's the PM's responsibility to protect it."  

Along similar lines, he came in defence of his brother and said that the tomb is protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), so they should be asked about the monument. Speaking exclusively to Republic TV, he said, "Akbaruddin Owaisi had gone to Aurangabad to lay the foundation stone of a school which will provide free education to all the children irrespective of caste and creed. Once that school is completed, more than 1,000 boys and girls will be studying free of cost. On his visit to the tomb, all these are ASI-protected monuments and ASI comes under the government administration body, so you ask them about these monuments."

Image: ANI