Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni led BJP workers on Sunday held a "purification ceremony" at the Shaniwar Wada in Pune after a viral video showed Muslim women offering Namaz at the fort.
"Shaniwarwada is a historic site. It is a symbol of our victory, the center from which the Maratha Empire expanded from Attock to Cuttack. If someone comes here and recites Namaz, we will not tolerate it,” Kulkarni wrote on X and tagged Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, BJP national president and Union minister JP Nadda and state BJP chief Ravindra Chavan.
"Shaniwarwada is an ASI-protected historical monument. It is a symbol of Hindaviswarajya founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. We cannot allow anyone to offer namaz here. It is not a mosque,” she said.
On Saturday, a video of some Muslim women offering namaz at the Shaniwar Wada Fort went viral on social media platforms which was followed by condemnation by BJP and several right wing organisation.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage with leaders from various parties lashing out at the BJP. Ajit Pawar NCP's spokesperson Rupali Patil Thombre urged the police to file a case against her for trying to "incite communal tension".
"She is raising the issue of Hindu versus Muslim, while both communities live together in harmony in Pune," Thombre said. "Shaniwar Wada belongs to all Punekars, not to any one group or religion", he said.
Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant expressed disbelief over the purification protest, wondering why they considered Shaniwar Wada a pilgrimage site. Sawant also said the Shaniwar Wada hosts Peshwa-era dargahs and added that the historical rulers had not taken issue with it.
“Seeing Muslim women offering namaz in Shaniwar Wada on Saturday, the BJP folks sprinkled cow urine on them, this sight makes one want to slap their forehead in disbelief. Does Shaniwar Wada seem like a pilgrimage site to them? Has anyone stopped you from sitting there and chanting jap?” asked Congress senior spokesperson Sachin Sawant.
Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi also condemned the incident, saying ," The BJP MP should have fear of Allah.This will not be tolerated. The Muslims in India sacrificed their lives for the nation.Those who advocated for the British, they are sitting in the power right now and will treat Muslims like this. They will get a befitting reply for this,”
Meanwhile, the police said that a case has been filed against the group of unidentified women who offered Namaz at the fort based on a complaint filed by an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officer. The police said they have also increased security at the fort.
