Agra: Two men arrested for offering ‘Gangajal’ at Taj Mahal; video goes viral.

The Tajganj Police in Agra confirmed arresting the two, who claim themselves to be associated with Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, from Taj Mahal premises. Two persons from a right-wing organisation were arrested for allegedly offering Gangajal at the iconic Taj Mahal in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra on the occasion of Sawan month on Saturday. The arrested men claimed that they offered holy water in plastic bottles considering Taj Mahal as ‘TejoMahalay’, a Shiv temple. The Tajganj Police confirmed arresting the two, who claim themselves to be associated with the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, from the Taj Mahal premises. A video clip purportedly shows one of the accused pours water from a plastic bottle on a closed staircase leading to the basement of Taj Mahal, which houses original graves of Shah Jahan and Mumtaz Mahal. They argued that the Taj Mahal is not a monument but a Shiva temple and the holy water was poured onto a sticker displaying Om, news agency IANS quote the police as saying. They were arrested by the Central Industrial Security Force entrusted the duty of Taj Mahal premises security. The men had entered the monument’s premises after purchasing a ticket as tourists who are allowed to bring in water bottles. Efforts to rename the Taj Mahal have been ongoing, with occasional attempts made to conduct aarti or pujas with prayers. A court case is currently in progress locally, seeking permission for such religious offerings. The month of Sawan is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Groups aligned with Hindutva ideology often refer to the Taj Mahal as ‘TejoMahalay’. The two are in custody at the Taj Ganj police station and a probe is on, Agra city deputy commissioner of police Suraj Rai said. Earlier a woman activist of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha had marched towards Taj Mahal carrying water from the Ganga river at Soron in Kasganj but was stopped by police at a barricade. In the past, right-wing activists have recited the ‘Shiv Chalisa’ within the Taj Mahal complex during ‘Mahashivratri’. Several years ago, members of the Hindu Jagaran Manch, a saffron organisation, including its district president Gaurav Thakur, were arrested by police for waving saffron flags inside the monument.