Tension flared in Uttar Pradesh’s Fatehpur district on Wednesday evening after a confrontation broke out between police and a group of women while trying to do puja at the disputed Maangi mausoleum site in the Abu Nagar area on Kartik Purnima.
The site, known locally as Maqbara Mangi, is the 200-year-old tomb of Nawab Abdus Samad Khan. However, some Hindu groups assert that it is actually the Siddhpeeth Thakur Ji Temple, citing carvings of tridents and floral motifs as evidence of its Hindu origins, Maktoob Media reported.
The location has remained sensitive since August, when members of Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) allegedly entered the structure, hoisted saffron flags, and caused damage.
According to police, around 20 women carrying diyas and prayer materials tried to breach the barricades placed around the site due to an ongoing court dispute. When officers intervened, a verbal altercation ensued. The women reportedly accused the police of preventing them from observing their religious rituals, claiming that some were manhandled and three women were beaten.
Unable to access the disputed area, the group eventually performed their aarti from a nearby street facing the mausoleum.
An FIR was later filed at the Kotwali police station on the complaint of Constable Manju Singh under Sections 121(1) (obstructing or assaulting a public servant), 351(2) (criminal intimidation), and 352 (use of criminal force) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS). The complaint names 20 unidentified women, including the wife of a local resident, Pappu Singh Chauhan. Police confirmed that no arrests have been made so far and that the situation remains under control.