After the Aurangzeb tomb row, a new controversy has erupted after the Hindu groups demanded renaming of India’s capital, Delhi to “Indraprastha” and installing statues of Hindu historical figures in the place of structures that date back to Mughal era.
Speaking at a meeting with Delhi VHP officials, Surender Gupta who is the organisation’s state minister demanded that on Sunday all the “Mughal era structures” which symbolise invasion should be demolished and replaced with those of Hindu warriors who fought against them.
After his remarks came into public’s attention, Muslim leaders, historians and intellectuals criticised such demands by the Hindu groups.
Scholar Maulana Arshad Madani noted that such demands may lead to communal tensions. He said, “These calls for demolitions are polarizing. India is a secular nation, its heritage belongs to everyone. By demolishing historical sites, are we not creating a troubling precedent?
Speaking on the controversy, Feroz Alam, an activist from Delhi said, “This is clearly an attempt to marginalize Muslims. Shah Jahan, Akbar and other Mughal emperors contributed greatly to India’s art, architecture etc. Their legacy is India’s legacy.”
Criticising the demands Historians have also argued that there is a strong threat from the extremist Hindu groups who are willing to erase India’s diverse and rich history. Many noted hat destroying them could be a cultural and economic disaster.
This story was originally published in muslimmirror.com.
