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Around 1,000 members of Hindutva organisations including Bajrang Dal, stormed the tomb of Nawab Abdus Samad Khan in Abu Nagar locality under Kotwali police station in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur on 11 August. The mob was incited and led by BJP district president Mukhlal Pal who alleged that the tomb is an old "Thakur ji ka mandir."
Communal tensions escalated quickly on Monday when the right-wing mob charged with lathis, was seen vandalising the tomb, planting saffron flags on the tomb and the premises and creating a ruckus on the site. All in the presence of the local police on the spot.
Prior the incident, Pal alleged that the tomb is an old temple as there is reportedly a "trishul" in its premises.
They have tried to damage our old Thakur temple. We want to get the temple back to its original state and we will. An FIR should be filed against those who disfigured it. I appeal to all the people here that in a large group we will go to there and offer prayers at the site clean the place. If anything goes wrong, the police would be responsible.Mukhlal Pal, BJP District President
BJP Functionary Seen Giving Threats, No Action Yet
The Quint found that even though the police has filed an FIR in the case but it has omitted Pal's name. The FIR mentions 10 accused and other 150 unidentified persons.
The FIR mentions BNS charges of unlawful assembly, rioting, trespassing burial grounds and promoting enmity between different groups, among others.
The charges applied in the FIR.
(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)
The FIR also mentions a Samajwadi Party leader Pappu Singh Chauhan. SP has expelled Chauhan for "anti-party" activities post the Fatehpur incident.
On the other hand, no action has been taken against Pal yet. He was also seen threating the local police in a video.
Referring to the Fatehpur SP, he said: "This is not Mulayam Singh's government that you can shoot. If you have the gall, then try and shoot today."
Speaking with The Quint, SP Anoop Kumar Singh said, "We spoke to the crowd and pacified them. An FIR was filed against 160 people in total."
On being asked why the BJP district President's name was missing from the FIR, SP said, "There is still investigation left since the FIR has been filed. If we get more information in our probe, we will take action against him too."
'Ye Sanatan Ka Maamla Hain...': Lal Incites Crowd, Later Appeals For Peace
Pal had also posted on his own Instagram, making inflammatory remarks and urging the crowd to go the tomb on 11 August.
In this video, posted two days before the incident, he reiterated his claims about the tomb and added, "We are not against any community but we will not tolerate our temple being used as a mosque like this," warning people not to interfere with a Hindu's faith.
However, taking a U-turn after tensions worsened, Pal posted another video yesterday.
Ironically, he said, "Kuch log mahaul ko bigaadna chahte hain, kisi ke behkawe mein mat aaye," appealing to 'Sanatani brothers' and the organisations to not listen to divisive voices and not to post anything that could harm brotherhood.
Since these allegations, rooted in misinformation are being charged against the tomb in Fatehpur, we also found its mention in archival records.
Here's a snippet from the Fatehpur Gazetteer, 1906 where this tomb is mentioned.
"There are no buildings or remains in the town of any historical or anti-quarian interest, except the tomb of Nawab Abdus Samad Khan, adjoining the ruins of his fort in the Abunagar muhalla. This man was faujdar of Pailani in Bundelkhand in the days of Aurangzeb..."
'Maqbara ko Napaak Karne Ki Koshish...': Politicians Speak Up
Several politicians soon took to X (formerly Twitter) to call out the attack against the Fatehpur tomb.
Among the political leaders, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi wrote, "The BJP district president and some mischievous organizations attempted to desecrate the tomb of Nawab Abdul Samad. Now, the entire tomb has been barricaded.Now there is a barracading of the entire tomb. Will Yogi baba not carry out lathi charge here? Are these not 'Laato ke Bhoot'?"
Meanwhile, SP's Akhilesh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party's Mayawati also called out the incident. Yadav said the incident in Fatehpur represents the decline of BJP's power.
"Whenever the BJP and their allies' true colors start to show, conspiracies are hatched to disrupt harmony. The public has now understood this BJP tactic. Now, the public will neither get stuck in such antics nor be swayed by these incidents," wrote Yadav.