Ah Taj! 4 from Hyderabad held for saying namaz at Shah Jahan's monument

Agra: Four tourists from Hyderabad were arrested for offering 'namaz' at the mosque on Taj Mahal premises. Taj Mahal remains closed only on Fridays for the general public but Muslim cardholders residing in nearby areas are allowed entry to offer namaz. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, offering namaz on any other day at the Taj Mahal mosque is not allowed.

According to Agra Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikas Kumar, three of the accused hailed from Hyderabad while the other was from Azamgarh. They have been booked under section 153 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). "Four people were arrested for offering namaz at the mosque in Taj Mahal premises. Three of them are from Hyderabad and one is from Azamgarh. They have been booked under section 153 of IPC. They have been presented in the court," Kumar.

"On Wednesday evening at around 7 pm, the staff of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) found six people offering 'namaz' at the mosque within Taj Mahal. CISF is the body entrusted with the duty of internal security at Taj Mahal and thus, an effort was made to nab them but two of them escaped taking advantage of the crowd within the monument premises but four were arrested," said Kumar. "

The four nabbed by CISF staff were handed over to Tajganj station police and a case was registered under section 153 (wantonly giving provocation to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code on the complaint of CISF," he said.

The arrests come at a time when right-wing Hindu groups are demanding they be allowed to offer prayers in what they claim is a Shiv temple (called Tejo Mahalaya) inside the Taj Mahal complex. Earlier in the month, Lucknow Bench of Allahabad High Court rejected the plea seeking to open 22 closed rooms in the Taj Mahal to ascertain the presence of the idols of Hindu deities.