Four tourists were arrested on Thursday for offering namaz at the mosque located in the Taj Mahal premises. All four tourists are from Hyderabad. According to the Archaeological Survey of India, the Taj Mahal remains closed on Friday for tourists and is open only to the Muslims residing in the area so they can offer namaz at the mosque on the premises. The residents are only allowed to enter after authorities have checked their IDs.
The tourists were arrested because offering namaz on Thursday is not allowed by the ASI Act. An ASI official said the tourists were handed over to the police because religious programs, except those mandated by the Supreme Court, are not allowed inside the Taj Mahal premises.
Station House Officer (SHO) Tajganj told India Today that a criminal case has been registered against the four tourists for rioting and provoking with intent to cause riot under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
The incident has enraged the Muslims residing in Agra and they have demanded the immediate release of the tourists.
Bhartiya Muslim Vikas Parishad Chairman Sami Aghai said the tourists were unaware of the ASI rule that offering namaz was prohibited inside the Taj Mahal mosque. He also said registering a criminal case against them was “highly unwarranted” since they were not locals. He added that they should have been let off with a written apology.
He said that instead of the tourists, the security personnel should be punished for not informing the tourists about the rule while they were preparing for the namaz at the Wazoo tank.
