After a political row over the grave of Aurangzeb in Aurangabad, the Maharashtra government has stepped up security around the grave of Afzal Khan in the Satara district of Maharashtra. Battalions of Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been deployed at the foothills of Pratapgad near Mahabaleshwar, where the Khan’s tomb is located.
50 personnel and 15 Quick Response Team (QRT) jawans have been deployed near the grave to guard the site in light of the ongoing controversy over Aurangzeb’s tomb and the sensitive atmosphere in light of the Gyanvapi mosque case hearing in the Varanasi court.
Mahabaleshwar Police, Navi Mumbai Rapid Action Force personnel inspected the site after a meeting was called by the officials with eminent personalities in the state in light of the communally charged atmosphere.
Row over Aurangzeb’s tomb: In a nutshell
The ongoing row started after AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi paid tributes at the tomb of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Khuldabad. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which has been demanding a ban on loudspeakers in mosques, condemned the move and asked the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to take action against Owaisi while warning to take ‘action’ on its own.
Shiv Sena and BJP also condemned the act. On May 19, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) banned the entry to Aurangzeb’s tomb in light of the MNS threat after party spokesperson Gajanan Kale questioned the need for the Mughal emperor’s tomb in ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji’s Maharashtra’.
“On December 18, 2000, the respected Bal Thackeray, in an interview given to the Saamana, had said that Aurangzeb’s tomb in Sambhajinagar ought to be destroyed and never rebuilt. Will this Thackeray government at least listen to Bal Thackeray?” Kale had said in a video message.
