Pune Police book women who offered namaz at Shaniwar Wada

Maharashtra Chief Minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said that action would be taken against anyone found guilty of violating the law, following the registration of a first information report (FIR) against three unidentified women for offering namaz at the historic Shaniwar Wada in Pune, news agency ANI reported.

“We will take action against anyone who does anything without permission,” CM Fadnavis said.

The case was registered against the three women after a video showing them offering ‘namaz’ at Shaniwar Wada went viral on social media last week, triggering protests by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Member of Parliament (MP) Medha Kulkarni and several other organisations.

As per Pune City Police, the FIR has been filed under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Rules, 1959, on the grounds of violating the restrictions that apply to protected monuments, ANI reported.

The incident is said to have occurred around 1:45 pm on October 18, prompting an official complaint by an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) officer to the Pune City Police.

Meanwhile, speaking on the police, action, Shiv Sena leader Shaina NC said, “An FIR has been registered under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Rules, 1959, because when anyone violates the restrictions that apply to a protected monument, it is necessary to take action. This FIR was filed because certain individuals chose to engage in activities in ASI-protected spaces.”

She further emphasised that this issue should not be framed as Hindu versus Muslim, but rather as a matter of what is permissible under ASI, ANI reported.

“Whether it’s Shaniwar Wada or any other place of religious significance, there must be a clear distinction between places where one can worship and where one cannot. It`s like saying people want to visit the Haji Ali Dargah to recite the Hanuman Chalisa. Nobody does that because we respect each other’s religious practices. Hindus and Muslims have coexisted peacefully for centuries. So, why turn this into a Hindu-Muslim controversy? The question here is what is permissible under the Archaeological Survey of India,” Shaina NC stated.

(With ANI inputs)

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