Members of Hindu right-wing outfits allegedly created ruckus at a mausoleum in Fatehpur district in Uttar Pradesh on Monday as they demanded permission to offer prayers there, claiming that a temple had previously existed at the site.
Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said that the government has taken the incident seriously and asked the Opposition not to play politics on the issue.
Elaborate security arrangements had been put in place in and around the centuries-old mausoleum of Nawab Abu Samad after Bharatiya Janata Party district president, Mukhlal Pal, had warned the district administration that he, along with Hindu organisations, would perform prayers at the site on August 11, claiming that the centuries-old structure was a temple with a 'Shivling'.
A video, which could not be independently verified, showed some people vandalising parts of the structure and hoisting a saffron flag.
Superintendent of police (Fatehpur) Anoop Kumar Singh said they are probing the incident.
"It is being probed how the mob managed to enter the mausoleum and took the law into their hands despite elaborate security arrangements. A case under relevant sections of the BNS will be registered against those found guilty in the matter. Strict action will be initiated against the guilty, and no one will be spared," he told PTI.
As tension prevailed in the area, police contingents from several areas, including Kotwali, Radhanagar, Malwan and Husainganj, were deployed to maintain law and order, officials said.
Pal had threatened to launch a protest if the administration attempted to stop them. He had claimed that the site was a temple of 'Thakur Ji', which was converted into a mausoleum by "invaders".
He had claimed that symbols like the trident and lotus flower inside the structure are markers of a Hindu temple and are never found in a mausoleum.
SP Anoop Kumar Singh had earlier said that the administration had deployed adequate police force in and around the site.
"We are maintaining strict vigil to ensure peace. No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands," he had said, adding that the district magistrate was also monitoring the situation.
The 'Math-Mandir Sanrakshan Sangharsh Samiti', a body representing local Hindu religious leaders and community groups, has submitted a memorandum to District Magistrate Ravindra Singh demanding his intervention.
The committee alleged that the "temple" is in a "severely dilapidated" condition, posing both a safety hazard to devotees and a threat to the city's cultural heritage.
On the other hand, the Rashtriya Ulema Council has also sent a letter to the DM urging the administration not to tamper with the historical character of the tomb.
The mausoleum's caretaker (Mutawalli), Mohammad Nafis, said that the structure is nearly 500 years old and was built by Emperor Akbar's grandson.
It houses the graves of Abu Mohammad and Abu Samad, he said.
Deputy CM Pathak said that the government has taken the incident seriously.
"The situation has been controlled by making both parties aware of the facts. Peace and unity have been ensured by the deployment of teams of 10 police stations, PAC and administration," he said.
Pathak claimed that the situation in Fatehpur is completely normal.
He appealed to the opposition parties to stop trying to score political brownie points over the incident.
The Deputy CM asserte that the BJP never indulges in politics of spreading hatred and stressed that its vision is "appeasement of none, satisfaction of all".
"The BJP is implementing public welfare policies in the interest of the state with the motto of 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas'," he said.
He claimed that riots have been completely controlled in the eight and a half years of the BJP government, which the Samajwadi Party cannot accept.
He accused SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and his allies of repeatedly making statements that pose a risk of breaking the social fabric.
He alleged that the Samajwadi Party is giving rise to hindu-muslim disputes to strengthen its vote bank and alleged that leaders like Akhilesh Yadav spread rumours to create unrest.