Special Correspondent
Mumbai: A petition has been filed in the High Court seeking the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb from the list of historical monuments maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), arguing that it does not qualify as a national monument and offers no historical legacy or learning for future generations.
RTI activist Ketan Tirodkar has filed this petition, stating that Aurangzeb’s tomb does not fit the definition of a national monument. The plea urges the ASI to delist it from the register of historical monuments. Once removed from the ASI’s list, the state government should permanently dismantle the tomb to prevent any potential communal tension in the future, the petition further states.
Additionally, the petition requests the Maharashtra government to consider imposing a temporary ban on the screening of the movie Chhava.
The demand for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb has been growing in recent days. On March 17, riots broke out in Nagpur over this issue, leading to the tomb being covered. There are also concerns about rising communal tensions in Marathwada, prompting the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to deploy a special team to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The team has also visited Parbhani, Jalna, and Nanded to monitor suspicious activities.
The issue has now reached the Rajya Sabha, where Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut raised concerns, stating, “After Manipur, Maharashtra is burning. Riots have erupted in Nagpur.” He accused the Union Home Ministry of turning the country into a police state over the past few years. Challenging the central government, he said, “If you want to demolish Aurangzeb’s tomb, send your children studying abroad to do it.” Union Home Minister Amit Shah was present in the House during Raut’s speech.
