New Delhi: Hindu organisations descended at Delhi's Qutub Minar Tuesday and once again reiterated their demand to rename the Mughal era structure to "Vishnu Stambh". Mahakal Manav Sewa activists including some right-wing outfits were seen holding placards and raising slogans seeking change in name of the iconic monument. Huge police deployment was made to stop them from protesting near Qutub Minar, reported news agency ANI.
As protestors refused to budge despite calls from the police to disperse, many were arrested and taken away in police vans. There were also chants of Hanuman Chalisa by the protestors at the site, reported news agency PTI.
"At least 30 demonstrators have been detained and taken to a police station, from where they will be released later", a senior official said to the news agency.
"They were detained because they cannot protest in the middle of the road causing traffic snarls, thereby creating inconvenience for commuters," the police official added.
Frequent demands have been made by Hindu outfits in the recent past to rename the UNESCO World Heritage Site in South Delhi's Mehrauli area.
A petition filed in the High Court claims that Qutub-Din-Aibak, a commander of invader Mohammad Ghori destroyed 27 Hindu and Jain temples to raise Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque inside the complex reusing the materials of demolished temples, reported news agency ANI.
Last month, a Delhi court in its order to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had said not to remove two idols of Lord Ganesha from the Qutub Minar complex till further directions.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party has been seeking to change the name of several landmarks named after Mughal rulers in the national capital like Akbar Road, Aurangzeb Lane, Humayun Road, and Tughlak Lane . A letter in this regard has been written to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation chairman by Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta.