Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura district administration has imposed prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 following an announcement by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha that it will install a Lord Krishna idol at the Shahi Eidgah mosque on December 6. The mosque is adjacent to the Krishna Janamasthan temple.
6th December marks the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992.
“Section 144 is already in force in the district. Strict actions will be taken against those found indulging in rumor-mongering or trying to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere of the town. We have received information that some organizations are trying to hold an event or a foot march on December 6,” Times of India quoted SSP (Mathura), Guarav Grover, as saying.
Circle officer (city) Abhishek Tewari, who interacted with Muslim leaders in Mathura, assured them that the administration has put safeguards in place, and said that no one will be allowed to do any mischief, the newspaper reported.
“Nobody will be allowed to disturb the peace and tranquillity in Mathura,” District Magistrate Navneet Singh Chahal told the PTI news agency.
Chahal said the Hindu Mahasabha had requested permission to install the idol at the mosque but it was turned down.
Hindu Mahasabha leader Rajyashri Choudhary had earlier said her organisation will install the idol of Lord Krishna in the Shahi Idgah after a “maha jalabhishek” to “purify” the place on 6 December, reported PTI.
Another Hindutva group, the Narayani Sena, has announced it will take out a march from Vishram Ghat to Sri Krishna Janmasthan, demanding the “removal” of the mosque.
Police said they have detained Narayani Sena secretary Amit Mishra in Mathura Kotwali, while the Hindutva outfit claimed its national president Manish Yadav has been detained in Lucknow.
The threat to perform the ‘ritual’ at the mosque has come at a time when a local court is hearing a bunch of petitions seeking ‘removal’ of the 17th-century mosque. Police, however, said no permission for any program has been issued and none will be granted.
Members of Quami Ekta Manch in Mathura have urged chief minister Yogi Adityanath to provide additional security on 6 December.
Founder of the Munch, Madhavan Dutt Chaturvedi, said it has been 53 years since an agreement was signed between the management of the Shahi Eidgah and Sri Krishna Janmasthan Sansthan to maintain the status quo. “We can’t let that break,” he told TOI.
Recently, the All India Teerth Purohit Mahasabha, a 60-year-old body of over 90 temple priests from across India, said that this issue is being raked up unnecessarily and that all concerned parties should be all the more careful as assembly polls are just around the corner in Uttar Pradesh.
