Key Points

Tension flared up in Fatehpur on Monday after a centuries-old tomb outside a mausoleum was vandalised by a group of people, claiming it had been built over a demolished Hindu temple.

The incident, which took place at the tomb of Nawab Abu Samad, has triggered a heated political war of words and prompted the administration to deploy heavy police and Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) forces in the area.

Barricades have been set up around the disputed site to prevent further unrest.

The purported video circulating on social media shows members of Hindu groups damaging parts of the mausoleum and hoisting saffron flags atop it. The visuals have drawn sharp reactions from the local Muslim community and the Opposition, who have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of fostering communal divisions.

In a veiled attack on the BJP, Congress MP Imran Masood told IANS, "This is their agenda, and this is what they are working on. If someone from the opposite side is involved, bullets will be fired, but if it's people from their ideology, they will be pacified through persuasion."

"People are going to religious places and vandalising them, and the police are folding their hands and escorting them out. The hatred they are sowing will be very difficult to uproot," he added.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati urged the state government to act decisively.

Taking to X, she posted, "In the dispute/controversy ongoing in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur district regarding the mausoleum and temple, the government should not allow any community to take any steps that could lead to communal tension there or disrupt mutual brotherhood and harmony. The government must take this matter seriously and, if necessary, take strict measures."

Samajwadi Party (SP) leaders also criticised the ruling party, claiming that the attack was part of the "conspiracy" to spark communal tensions.

SP MLA Atul Pradhan, speaking to IANS, said, "The BJP has conspired to create communal tensions in Fatehpur. They are trying to spread anarchy."

Kanpur SP MLA Mohammad Hassan Roomi claimed a "land mafia" was exploiting the BJP's agenda to seize property, demanding the government investigate the role of BJP members in the matter.

Earlier on Monday, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of divisive politics, saying, "Only when society is divided and hatred is spread will the BJP be successful in politics. These people are following an ideology created by the British."

He also recalled earlier communal incidents in Fatehpur, including the demolition of a mosque deemed "illegal" and a separate incident in which a youth was killed, with action taken only after public pressure.

- IANS