In two separate 15- and 23-second videos, the men identified as the Hindu Jagran Manch youth wing district president – Guarav Talwar, Rishi Lavania, Sonu Baghel and Vishesh Kumar – can be seen waving the saffron flags.
#Agra: Hindu Jagran Manch activists raised saffron flags inside #TajMahal facilities on Monday, leading to… https://t.co/apQvYqLUwa
– TOI Agra (@TOIAgra) 1609778169000
Talking to TOI, SSP Babloo Kumar, said the four men have been registered under section 153 A (Promotion of enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion) of the IPC and Section 7 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act at the Tajganj Police Station on a complaint filed by the CISF.
When contacted by the CISF (Taj Mahal) commander, Rahul Yadav said that these men bought tickets at the counter and intentionally raised the flags inside the Taj premises in an apparent attempt to gain popularity and increase their YouTube following. “Our security personnel use metal detectors to search visitors, but a small piece of clothing cannot be detected. Selfie sticks are allowed and used to hoist these cloth flags, ”he added.
He said that these people also participated in such activities last year. “We don’t want to spoil the atmosphere inside the premises, so we filed a police report against them,” he said.
This is not the first time that activists from a right-wing organization have tried to generate controversy by raising saffron-colored flags or holding a bid inside the premises. On October 25, 2020, activists from the same organization entered the TajMahal, allegedly doused Ganga Jal and renounced saffron flag In the local. They had claimed that they had come to the “Tejo Mahalaya” to offer puja.
Earlier in 2018, three women belonging to the Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad, a local right-wing group, offered puja at the 400-year-old mosque in the Taj Mahal complex. The women lit ‘dhoop batti’ and poured Ganga Jal into the premises.
In 2008, a group of Shiv Sena activists entered the Taj Mahal and performed religious rituals of a parikrama with folded hands.
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