Attack on India’s cultural heritage: Former Bureaucrats
New Delhi: A group of former Indian bureaucrats and diplomats has expressed serious concern over the demand by Hindu extremists for a survey of the renowned Ajmer Dargah of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the group has condemned the demand as illegal and a direct assault on India’s cultural heritage.
The letter, sent by prominent figures including former Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Najeeb Jung, former Chief Election Commissioner S.Y. Qureshi, former Vice Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Zameeruddin Shah and former Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India R.V. Gupta, described the call for the survey as a “theoretical attack” on India’s heritage. The signatories called for immediate intervention by the Prime Minister to prevent such actions.
In the letter, the former officers highlighted the baselessness of claims that Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, a 12th-century Sufi saint known for his advocacy of tolerance and harmony, could have destroyed a temple in the region. They expressed shock at the growing religious tensions in India, especially between the Hindu and Muslim communities, which have led to increasing insecurity among minorities.
The letter noted the recent spate of incidents, including harassment and mob killings of Muslims over alleged cow slaughter, the boycott of Muslim businesses, and actions such as denying Muslim tenants housing or demolishing their homes. These actions, the letter pointed out, have escalated tensions and created a climate of fear and mistrust.
The former diplomats and bureaucrats also urged the Prime Minister to instruct state governments to ensure strict adherence to the Constitution and the rule of law, especially concerning the protection of religious and cultural sites.
This letter comes in the wake of a court hearing in Ajmer on November 27, where a civil court issued notices to the Dargah Committee, the Ministry of Minority Affairs, and the Archaeological Survey of India following a petition by Vishnu Gupta, the national president of Hindu Sena. Gupta’s petition claims that the Ajmer Dargah was originally a Shiva temple.
