Right-wing group recites Hanuman Chalisa outside Qutub Minar; 44 detained

United Hindu Front claimed that the Qutub Minar is the 'Vishnu Stambha', which was built by Vikramaditya

Hindu right-wing activists on Tuesday sat in protest outside the Qutub Minar, demanding that the 12th century Mughal minaret’s name be changed to Vishnu Stambh. As a mark of protest, the activists chanted the Hanuman Chalisa. The Delhi Police later detained 44 of these protestors, since permission was not sought for the protest.

International working president of the United Hindu Front, Bhagwan Goyal, said that the monument’s complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993, was, in reality, the Vishnu Stambh, he said, which was built by Hindu king Vikramaditya.

“Qutubuddin Aibak claimed faked credit. There were 27 temples in the complex and those were destroyed by Aibak. The proof is in the idols of Hindu gods found within the complex. We deserve the right to worship them,” he said, adding that they should be allowed to bring all idols to the same spot.

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Goyal added that they have now given a memorandum of our demands to home minister Amit Shah and tourism minister G Kishan Reddy.

Hindutva activists have contended that the minaret’s complex has several Hindu idols scattered around it. Two Ganesh idols, one known as ‘Ulta Ganesh’ and another known as ‘Ganesh in a cage’ are part of the minaret’s complex. While the ‘Ulta Ganesh’ is situated near a wall beside the Quwwat-Ul-Islam mosque, the other idol is kept in an iron cage near the mosque.

In April, Tarun Vinay, chairman of the National Monuments Authority (NMA) said that he has appealed to the Archaeological Institute of India that the idols should either be removed or placed respectfully.

“...why Ganesha moorti was put upside-down to humiliate Hindus. There are Tirthankars, Yamuna, Dashavatar, Krishna's birth and Navagraha moortis never shown to visitors,” the BJP leader tweeted.

Last month a court in Delhi directed the Archaeological Survey of India to not remove the idols.

On the other hand, on Tuesday, BJP Delhi president Aadesh Gupta has written to NDMC to change the names of Mughal-era sites in Delhi. “Wrote a letter to the chairman of today @tweetndmc demanding to change the names of the routes symbolising slavery from the Mughal period,” Gupta tweeted.