Reconstruction of Bulleh Shah shrine won’t be allowed, claims right-wing fringe group

Mussoorie: Kali Sena, a right-wing fringe group, has issued multiple statements warning that any attempt to reconstruct the over 100-year-old mazaar of Sufi poet Bulleh Shah in Mussoorie would be met with stiff opposition. In a video released on Thursday, the outfit's state convenor Bhupesh Joshi said, "We will beat up anyone who tries to rebuild the mazaar. We will instead construct a Hanuman temple near it."The statement comes after Baba Bulleh Shah Committee president Rajat Aggarwal said the mazaar would be rebuilt by May this year. The structure was vandalised earlier this month by a group of men, who allegedly broke open a donation box, stole silver jewellery, and damaged religious books. Days earlier, Bajrang Dal activists had protested against the mazaar and other shrines, claiming they had been built "without proper sanction on school or forest land".Following Joshi's remarks, Congress leaders met police on Friday and demanded action. "Efforts are being made to spoil Mussoorie's social fabric by anti-social elements who do not even live here. We have asked police to take strict action against all those issuing threats; otherwise, we will stage a protest," said local party leader, Megh Singh Kandari.Responding to queries from TOI on what action was being taken on the issue, Mussoorie circle officer (CO) Manoj Aswal said, "We have no knowledge of recent videos surfacing on social media and will take action once they are brought to our notice." He added that the three individuals named as prime accused in the vandalism case had been called for interrogation and issued a warning.Police had earlier registered an FIR under BNS sections 196(1)(b) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, etc.) and 298 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class) against three people: Hari Om, Shraddha, and Shiv Om.Following the attack, locals said the mazaar had long been part of the town's cultural and spiritual landscape and expressed concern that the incident could deepen divisions in the otherwise peaceful town.Notably, in July last year, during a ‘Hindu Panchayat' held in Dehradun, Joshi had urged locals to not rent out their properties to members of the minority community. After a video of his comments was circulated, a case was registered against him under BNS sections 196(1) (promoting enmity between religious groups) and 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings).ALL PIC CREDITS: Deepak Rawat