LUCKNOW: A viral video of a masked girl dancing under one of the arches of the
Bara Imambara
drew the ire of
Shia clerics
who said that the monument is a religious place and not a tourist spot and demanded a thorough probe into the incident.
Minority welfare minister
Mohsin Raza also wrote to the Lucknow district magistrate, Abhishek Prakash — who is also the chairman of Husainabad and Allied Trust(HAT) (HAT) which is responsible for the upkeep of the monument — calling for an inquiry.
In a statement, Shia cleric
Maulana Saif Abbas
said, "Bara Imambara is a religious monument and not a tourist place. Action should be taken against the officials concerned. It is extremely unfortunate that such an incident has occured."
"This is not the first time that such a video has surfaced. We have already informed the administration that Bara Imambara is a religious place where dance and music is unacceptable. Special officers should be deployed at our religious places so that such incidents do not recur," he said.
General secretary of the
All India Shia Personal Law Board
,
Maulana Yasoob Abbas
, said: "The sanctity of our religious places is being breached. The district magistrate is the chairman of HAT but no rules are being followed. This is condemnable that HAT is not able to perform its duty of protecting the sanctity of our places of worship. We will launch an agitation against this."
In a letter to the district magistrate, state minister Mohsin Raza said the guards and guides on duty at the Imambara should have taken steps to prevent such an incident. "An investigation should be conducted and action should be initiated against those found responsible for laxity," he said.