Demolish Aurangzeb’s tomb, MNS tells CM Thackeray; police deployed at site

On May 8, AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi Owaisi visited Aurangabad to lay a foundation stone for his school for underprivileged children and during the trip, Owaisi visited several Dargahs in Khuldabad and subsequently visited the tomb of Aurangazeb, a move that was criticised by several politicians in the state and had sparked the controversy.

Some BJP leaders had even demanded that the state government book Owaisi under sedition charges.

“What is the need for Aurangzeb’s grave in the land of Shivaji Maharaj? Demolish this grave, so that no separatists(like Owaisi) will come to bow on it. Even Balasaheb Thackeray had said the same, don’t you want to listen to anything of Balasaheb?” MNS spokesperson Gajanan Kale had tweeted earlier on Tuesday.

Kale further said that, “In an interview given to ‘Saamana’ (the mouthpiece of Shiv Sena) by Balasaheb Thackeray in 2000, he had said that Aurangzeb’s tomb should be demolished, and it should not be rebuilt ever. Is this Thackeray government going to listen to at least Balasaheb? You have already taken a U-turn on renaming (Aurangabad as) Sambhaji Nagar, the issue of loudspeakers… At least on this, Thackeray government is going to listen to Balasaheb or not? Or just keep talking about asli (real) and nakli (fake) Hindutva?” Kale said.

The demand by the MNS, prompted the Aurangabad rural police to deploy policemen at the tomb of Aurangzeb in Khuldabad in Aurangabad.

Demolish Aurangzeb’s tomb, MNS tells Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray

Aurangabad rural police said that guards have been deployed at the site on a precautionary measure and a patrolling was done at the tomb site.

The deployment of security at the tomb irked the MNS and Kale again hit out at Shiv Sena and Mahavikas Aghadi government calling it anti-Hindu and appealed to the followers of Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj to teach a lesson to the anti-Hindu government. Kale also warned the government to demolish the grave on its own or else they know how to do it.

“Balasaheb had already said and now even people of Maharashtra are saying that the tomb of Aurangzeb at Sambhaji Nagar (Aurangabad) to be destroyed, at the same time this government is rubbing salt on the injury by providing security to the grave. The providing security to the tomb of Aurangzeb is shameful act…,” Kale said later in the day.