Police in Agra have detained Gopal Chahar, a state convener of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, for attempting to perform ‘Aarti’ on the stairs of the historic Jama Masjid in Agra on the occasion of Janmashtami late Monday night. The incident has sparked tension as Hindu groups claim that the idol of Keshav Dev, from Mathura’s Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi, was buried under the mosque’s stairs by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Inspector Satyadev Sharma, in charge of Mantola police station, stated that Chahar arrived at the mosque from Agra Fort Railway Station around midnight, asserting that he intended to worship the buried idol.
“Gopal Chahar was detained with the Aarti thaal (plate) and taken to the police station for questioning. Further legal action will be taken based on directives from senior officials,” Sharma said.
The Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Sanrakshit Seva Trust has already filed a plea in a local Agra court, seeking permission to “excavate the Lord Krishna idol buried under the staircase” of the Jama Masjid. The Hindu organization has repeatedly claimed that the idol of Keshav Dev from the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple was hidden under the mosque stairs during Aurangzeb’s reign.
In a related incident, Meera Rathore, the district president of the Agra Mahila Morcha of Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, was intercepted by police near Farah while she attempted to celebrate Janmashtami at the sanctum sanctorum of the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple.
