Asaduddin’s first reaction on ‘temple beneath Ajmer dargah’ row

Hyderabad: All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has strongly reacted to the development pertaining to the claim over the site of the dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, popularly known as Ajmer dargah in Rajasthan.

A court in Rajasthan's Ajmer has admitted a petition claiming there exists a Shiva temple beneath the shrine of the 13th-century Sufi saint. The civil suit was filed by Delhi-based Hindu Sena in the Ajmer munsif criminal and civil court.

The court issued notices on Wednesday to the Dargah Khwaja Saheb committee, Ministry of Minority Affairs and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in the matter.

AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi alleged that the BJP-led government and RSS are “weakening the rule of law" in the country. He said the Ajmer shrine has been a symbol of spiritual unity for over 800 years. Even Indian Prime Ministers, from Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, have sent ceremonial ‘chadar’ to Ajmer Sharif dargah.

“Why are the BJP and RSS spreading hatred against mosques and dargahs?” Owaisi told ANI.

Owaisi blamed the BJP and RSS for the latest development and said this is “not in favour of the country.”

“Why are the lower courts not hearing the Places of Worship Act?…This way where will the rule of law and democracy go?” he added.

The petitioner claimed that the entrance of Ajmer shrine, a 75-foot-high Buland Darwaza, was built using materials from a Shiva temple. They also claimed that a Brahmin family reportedly worshipped at the site where a Shivling was once located.