Tension gripped Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district after a group of women clashed with police on Wednesday evening while attempting to perform puja at the disputed Maangi mausoleum site of Nawab Abdus Samad Khan in the Abu Nagar area on the occasion of Kartik Purnima.
The disputed structure, locally known as Maqbara Mangi, is the mausoleum of Nawab Abdus Samad Khan, situated in the Abu Nagar area of the Rediya locality in Sadar tehsil of Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district.
The latest incident has reignited tensions at the 200-year-old Maangi mausoleum, which Hindu groups claim as a “Siddhpeeth Thakur Ji Temple,” featuring carvings of tridents and flowers.
The site has remained a flashpoint since August, when members of Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) allegedly stormed the structure, hoisted saffron flags, and vandalised it.
According to police, around 20 women carrying diyas and prayer materials tried to cross the barricades that had been erected around the site due to ongoing litigation.
As some women attempted to remove or climb the barricades, police intervened, leading to a heated exchange.
The women accused officers of misconduct and claimed they were being prevented from performing their religious rituals. One woman speaking to reporters asked, “Is it a sin to do puja?” and alleged that “the police even beat three women and misbehaved with us.”
Unable to reach the disputed site, the women eventually performed their aarti from a nearby lane facing the structure.
A case was registered at the Kotwali police station under Sections 121(1) (obstructing or assaulting a public servant), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 352 (use of criminal force) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), based on a complaint filed by Constable Manju Singh. The FIR names 20 unidentified women, including the wife of a local resident, Pappu Singh Chauhan. No arrests have been made so far, police said.
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