Case Explained: Hindu petitioners claim Aurangzeb buried Lord Keshav Dev's idols under Agra Fort mosque's stairs in 1670

Agra: A local court in Agra has issued a notice to the UP Central Waqf Board and other stakeholders, after it admitted a plea demanding excavation of the stairs of a mosque in the city to recover idols of Lord Keshav Dev that were allegedly buried there at the behest of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The plea had been filed by Shri Krishna Sanrakshit Seva Trust's president Manoj Pandey on May 11, reported The Print.

The website reported that Hindu preacher Devkinandan Thakur had said in a recent event in Mathura that Lord Keshav Dev's iols should be returned to the Hindu community. Thakur, a renowned 'Katha Vachak', is also linked to the trust.

Pandey told the website that members of the Muslim community "trample" the idols which is an insult to the Hindu community. "Since Muslims didn't heed the appeal to let us excavate the stairs and take out the idols, we had no option but to approach the court," he told The Print in Hindi.

He claimed there were several historical writings that say Aurangzeb had destroyed a Hindu temple Mathura in 1670 and got the idols buried beneath the stairs of the mosque. He claimed the historians during Aurangzeb's time had written about these incidents in their books. He demanded that the idols of the Keshav Dev temple be brought out.

Per IANS, they are seeking excavation at the Begum Sahiba mosque at Agra Fort's Diwan-e-Khas. The fort, built in 1956, is protected by the ASI.

The intezamia (management) committee of the Shahi Masjid, Agra Fort, Agra; Chhoti Masjid Diwan-e-Khaas Jahanara Begum Masjid, Agra Fort; Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board and Sri Krishna Janmasthan Sewa Sansthan were made parties to the suit.

"We have sought relief from the court for removing these idols from the steps and bringing them back to Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura," said Deoki Nandan Thakur, a Hindu religious preacher who has raised the issue and constituted the body for the purpose.

The court, however, refused to grant a stay on the movement on the steps at the mosque.

"I, along with Dhirendra Shastri from Bagheshwar Dham, had made an appeal in Bhopal on April 8 to Muslim brothers to present an example of `bhaichara` (brotherhood) in the spirit of `Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb` (spirit of communal harmony) to allow the digging of stairs at the mosque in Agra where idols of Krishna are buried which are insulted every day by those walking over those stairs," Thakur added.

"There was total silence on the part of Muslim clerics and leaders and thus we were constrained to seek legal remedy by court and filed a petition in Agra. The court has issued notices in the case and opposite parties are asked to present their version by May 31," he said.

Amir Ahmed, a lawyer in Agra, questioned the purpose of the suit when litigation on the same line is pending in the Mathura court.

"It seems to be more aimed at publicity and disturbing the peace of the city," said Ahmed, former secretary of the Collectorate Bar Association in Agra.

Mohd Zahid, the chairman of Local Islamia Agency, said that the mosque referred to is under the ASI.

"We have not yet received any information about the case in Agra court," he added.

Thakur claimed a temple was demolished in Mathura and its idols were taken by Aurangzeb in Agra in the year 1670.

With inputs from IANS