New Delhi: A panicky situation prevailed among tourists visiting the Taj Mahal, on Sunday after protests held by members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) took an ugly turn despite the high security deployed here.
Reportedly the members, who were holding protests against the installation of the turnstile gates at the western gate of Taj Mahal as it allegedly blocked the entrance to the 400-year-old Siddheshwar Mahadev temple resorted to vandalism by removing a part of the newly-installed gate. A case of rioting has been registered against 30 members of the saffron outfit after a complaint was lodged by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in this regard.
The incident took place even as the security personnel tried to stop them from creating a chaos at the scene. The VHP members even dismissed their rationale that there is an alternative route to the temple claiming that the same was narrow and people can’t walk properly.
A video footage of the protest shows the members, armed with hammers and rods vandalising the gate and throwing it while shouting slogans against the ASI.
Among those named in the FIR is VHP member Ravi Dubey, who claims to be General Secretary of the 400-year-old Hindu temple. Besides him, Madan Verma, Mohit Sharma, Niranjan Singh Rathore, Gulla and 25 other VHP members have been named in the FIR.
