Bajrang Dal Coordinator Arrested After 200-Year-Old Mazaar Demolished In UP's Fatehpur
Videos showed men destroying the structure, sparking outrage. An FIR was filed, citing communal provocation. Officials dispute the shrine's official status, while Bajrang Dal claims it was a land dispute.
Police on Wednesday arrested a Bajrang Dal coordinator and launched a manhunt for eight others after a nearly 200-year-old shrine was allegedly demolished in Mawai village of Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district. The incident came to light after videos of the demolition surfaced on social media, triggering widespread outrage.
The footage, which quickly went viral, purportedly shows a group of men smashing the structure with hammers and sticks, while making remarks referencing Bangladesh. The demolition reportedly took place on Tuesday afternoon, according to a Hindustan Times report.
FIR Filed, Manhunt Underway
An FIR has been registered against five named accused and four unidentified persons on the complaint of a sub-inspector. The arrested accused, Narendra Hindu, was produced before a court and sent to jail, police said. Raids are ongoing to arrest the remaining accused.
According to the FIR, the accused damaged the shrine of Wali Shah Baba, made communally provocative speeches, disturbed social harmony and hurt religious sentiments. The case has been registered under sections 191(2), 298, 301, 196 and 324(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Hindu has been identified as the Bhitoora block coordinator of the Bajrang Dal and is currently being questioned as part of the investigation.
“The incident came to our notice after the video went viral. One person has been arrested and sent to jail. Action against others named in the FIR is in progress,” said Alok Pandey, station house officer of Husainaganj police station.
Conflicting Claims Over Shrine Status
The shrine, located in a predominantly Hindu locality, had reportedly suffered partial damage during earlier road construction work and was later repaired by local residents. Villagers alleged that around two dozen men arrived at the site with hammers, spades and sticks and demolished the structure without facing any resistance.
However, local administration officials said revenue records do not officially recognise the structure as a shrine. “The structure, measuring around 10 to 12 square metres, was built several years ago on land recorded as part of the village settlement. The surrounding area is entirely inhabited by Hindu families,” said Amresh Kumar Singh, tehsildar of Sadar.
Bajrang Dal leaders, meanwhile, denied that a religious shrine was demolished, claiming the incident was linked to a land dispute. “The structure was being used to assert ownership of the land. Some bricks were removed, but there was no shrine. Residents themselves cleared the site,” said Virendra Pandey, the organisation’s provincial coordinator.
This is the second such incident reported from Fatehpur in recent months. Earlier, a shrine in Abunagar was vandalised, leading to FIRs against several BJP leaders and Hindu nationalist figures.
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