Mathura: Hindu Mahasabha makes fresh plea to allow Lord Krishna Arti

The Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha has made a fresh request to the administration here to allow it perform Arti of Lord Krishna on the Shahi Masjid Idgah complex on December 10, an office-bearer of the outfit said Thursday.

ABHM national president Rajyashree Chaudhuri said they has sent a letter to the district administration on September 7 also, but there is no response.

"Without permission, we will not perform Arti," she said

District Magistrate Navneet Singh Chahal said permission has not been granted as there is no question of allowing any new ritual there.

The administration is alert and any attempt to spoil the harmony of Mathura would invite deterrent punitive action, the DM said.

Officials, meanwhile, said nobody would be allowed to disturb the peace and tranquility of Brajbhumi.

Earlier, the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha had announced it would install the deity's idol and carry out a purification ritual of the temple complex. But it had recalled its plans on December 1 after the Mathura administration had beefed up the security in the district.

The district administration had also declared the temple complex a Red Zone after deploying additional security personnel.

Chaudhuri said Thursday that in case the fresh request for the permission is not granted, the administration can perform Arti and send the video of the same to Mahasabha.

She said the Mahasabha will decided its future course of action on December 11.

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya had last week tweeted that preparations were underway for constructing a grand temple in Mathura on the lines of Ayodhya and Varanasi.

He is the first senior BJP leader holding a position in government to make such a statement in the run-up to the 2022 Assembly election in the state.

Mathura has a prominent mosque -- the Shahi Idgah -- located next to a temple, believed to be the site of the birthplace of Lord Krishna. The mosque has been at the centre of a legal battle for years with Hindu groups claiming that the Idgah was built on land where Lord Krishna was born.