Amid the ongoing loudspeaker row in Maharashtra, a right-wing group recited the Hanuman Chalisa outside the Qutub Minar complex on Tuesday, demanding that the iconic monument be renamed 'Vishnu Stambha.'
The United Hindu Front (UHF), an international Hindu organisation, recited Hanuman Chalisa on the premises of the Qutub Minar alongside other Hindu groups. Along with reciting the Chalisa the protestors chanted ‘Jai Shri Ram’, and displayed placards reading “Qutub Minar should be called Vishnu Stambha’’, after the Hindu God Vishnu.
According to reports, at least 30 demonstrators have been detained and taken to a police station, where they will be released later.
A senior official of the police said, "They were detained because they couldn't protest in the middle of the road, causing traffic jams and causing commuter inconvenience," a police official explained. Bhagwan Goyal, the United Hindu Front's international working president, claimed that the Qutub Minar is the 'Vishnu Stambha,' which was built by the "great king Vikramaditya."
"However, it was later claimed by Qutubuddin Aibak. The complex had 27 temples, all of which were destroyed by Aibak. People can see Hindu god idols kept in the Qutub Minar complex as proof of all of this. "We demand that Qutub Minar be renamed Vishnu Stambha," they say.
Meanwhile, in response to the Hindu organisation's announcement, a heavy security of Delhi CAPF personnel have been s outside the historic monument.
Moreover, Several Hindu organisations protested the placement of two inverted Lord Ganesha idols in the structure of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque in the Qutub Minar complex, alleging that it hurt religious sentiments.
The groups also demanded that the idols be removed from the structure and placed somewhere where they could be worshipped.