From Uttarakhand temple to Zafar Mahal, string of vandalism incidents took place at ASI sites in 2020-24

New Delhi: Damaging a "shivalinga" at an Uttarakhand temple as well the jail of the Zafar Mahal in Delhi and an act of vandalisation at the iconic Charminar in Hyderabad are among the "incidents of vandalism" that have taken place at ASI-protected sites from 2020 to 2024, according to information shared by the Centre.

Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat shared the information in a written response to a query in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

He was asked about the number of such incidents at monuments protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) over the last five years.

According to the tabulated information, 16 such incidents, including of theft, took place at monuments located in eight states and one Union Territory -- Delhi.

A 2021 incident, when the ticketing system, entrance gate and R R Barrack at Delhi's Red Fort -- a UNESCO World Heritage Site -- were damaged, has also been mentioned in the list.

Damage to the ancient rampart wall of the Sisupalgarh Fort in Odisha's Bhubaneswar and the vandalisation of a "shivalinga" at the Mritunjaya temple at Dwarahat in Uttarakhand's Almora district in 2021 have also been mentioned.

Besides, the damage caused to the jail of the Zafar Mahal monument in 2023 and the digging of a hole into the platform of a Madhya Pradesh temple in 2024 also find a mention.

The thefts of a sculpture of Lord Vishnu in Bihar's Patna district in 2022, of a copper "kalasha" at a Sadasiva temple in Karnataka in 2020 and of a stone idol of Lord Ganesha at the Lakshminarasimha temple at Marehalli in Karnataka's Mandya district in 2022, among other incidents, have also been listed.

The Union minister was also asked whether there is a shortage of security personnel for the protection of the ASI monuments.

"No, sir. Besides 3,507 Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) who are also utilised for watch-and-ward duties as per requirement, the security is further strengthened by deployment of additional 2,763 private security personnel. Further, for security of Red Fort, Delhi and Taj Mahal, Agra, 592 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel are deployed," he said in his response.

The ASI takes up the conservation and preservation work of 3,698 centrally-protected monuments or sites across the country.