The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has instructed to probe the authenticity of a viral video allegedly showing a man delivering ‘namaz’ with a woman sitting alongside him in garden area which is said to be inside the Taj Mahal premises.
Raj Kumar Patel, the superintending archaeologist for Agra circle of ASI, pointed out: “We have come across a purported video going viral wherein a man is seen offering namaz in the area said to be the premises of the Taj Mahal.
“However, there is no certainty about the authenticity of the video particularly because none of our staff at Taj Mahal saw such happening. I was also present on Taj Mahal premises on Sunday but came across no such incident.”
The ASI official further underlined: “We are probing the matter as there is prohibition on offering ‘namaz’ on the Taj premises and it is only on masjid premises within the Taj Mahal compound where ‘namaz’ is offered every Friday, that too, by locals around Taj Mahal allocated passes.”
He also highlighted that the security check at the monument had been enhanced, especially on days when visitor turnout is much more than routine to stave off such happenings on Taj Mahal premises.
Meanwhile, the right wing activists have been protesting against any such incidents and went on to claim that the Taj Mahal was originally a Shiv temple called Tejo Mahalaya.