Aurangzeb's tomb is protected by law: CM

Whether we like Aurangzeb or not, his tomb is a protected site, and it's our duty to protect the law. But we won't allow anyone to glorify the tomb.

- Surendra P Gangan and Pradip Kumar Maitra

Mughal emperor Aurangzeb's tomb is a protected site but the government will not allow its glorification, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday even as Hindu right-wing organisations appeared to walk back on their demands to raze the 18th century tomb after weeks of protests.

Fadnavis's comment came on a day senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Suresh Bhaiyyaji Joshi called the grave located in Khuldabad on the outskirts of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and protected by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) a symbol of India's "tolerance and pluralism" and other Sangh affiliates indicated they were tamping down on protests to remove the grave.

Speaking to the media in Nagpur, Fadnavis said Aurangzeb's tomb was a protected monument. "Whether we like Aurangzeb or not, his tomb is a protected site, and it's our duty to protect the law. But neither will we allow anyone to glorify the tomb." The grave of Aurangzeb has been in the eye of the storm over the past three weeks amid demands by right-wing groups to remove it. Hindu groups say Aurangzeb was a barbaric leader, who massacred Hindus while others say he was an able administrator. On March 17, violence rocked Nagpur during protests over the razing of Aurangzeb's grave and injured close to 50 people in clashes that the government called "pre-planned".