A man claiming to be a descendant of the last Mughal emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar has written to the United Nations seeking protection of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Maharashtra’s Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar which has been at the eye of a storm lately.
Last month, violence erupted in Nagpur during a rally which demanded the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb, which is located in Kuldabad of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, formerly Aurangabad.
Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, who has written to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, claims to be the Mutawalli (caretaker) of the Waqf property where the Mughal Emperor’s tomb resides. He said that the grave has been declared a ‘Monument of National Importance’ and is protected under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958.
“As per the provisions of the said Act, no unauthorised construction, alteration, destruction, or excavation can be undertaken at or near the protected monument, and any such activity would be deemed illegal and punishable under law,” news agency ANI cited the letter to the UN Secretary-General read.
Bahadur Shah Zafar ‘descendant’ cites int’l law
Concerned about the tomb’s state, he demanded the deployment of security personnel to protect it.
“Due to the misrepresentation of historical factions through films, media outlets, and social platforms has enabled the manipulation of public sentiment, resulting in unwarranted protests, hate campaigns and symbolic acts of aggression such as burning of effigies,” he said in the letter.
Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy also pointed out that international law imposes an obligation to “safeguard and conserve cultural heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.”
“Any act of destruction, neglect, or unlawful alteration of such monuments would amount to a violation of international obligations,” read the letter, which cited India’s signing of the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, 1972.
Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy urged the UN Secretary-General’s office to take cognisance of the matter and direct the Central Government and ASI to ensure the grave of Aurangzeb be afforded “full legal protection, security and preservation in accordance with national and international laws.”