All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi had in the last week visited the Dargah Sharif at Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh to pay obeisance to the 11th-century Islamic invader, Ghazi Salar Masud. Owaisi was in Uttar Pradesh to inaugurate his first party office in the state in the Bahraich district ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections when he visited the Dargah.
While Owaisi did not forget to pay homage to the Islamic invader, he did not visit the Maharaja Suheldev Memorial that has been laid in Bahraich itself.
BJP attacks Owaisi for insulting Maharaja Suheldev and hurting sentiments of Hindus
Owaisi’s actions miffed the members of the ruling BJP in the state, who accused the AIMIM chief of insulting Maharaja Suheldev, the 11th Century ruler from the Pasi community of Shrasvati, a kingdom which was located in present-day Bahraich district of Uttar Pradesh. BJP also accused Owaisi of hurting the sentiments of the Hindus, especially those of the Dalit community who revere Maharaja Suheldev.
Hitting out at Owaisi, Uttar Pradesh’s backward class welfare minister Anil Rajbhar opined that the AIMIM chief has hurt the sentiments of people by paying obeisance to the Islamic invader who looted and destructed many Hindu temples and Muths and mercilessly killed thousands of Hindus in his fanaticism.
BJP leader slams Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party for allying with AIMIM
The Uttar Pradesh minister also slammed the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP), an estranged BJP ally, for stitching an ‘unholy alliance’ with AIMIM in Uttar Pradesh to take on BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections. Anil Rajbhar said that SBSP chief, Om Prakash Rajbhar, whose party worships Maharaja Suheldev, has ditched its ideology for power. He said that SBSP’s decision to ally with AIMIM has hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community. Anil Rajbhar furthered that the AIMIM and SBSP alliance is an insult to the backward Rajbhar community.
#UP Minister, Anil Rajbhar, said that the #AIMIM & SBSP alliance was an insult to the backward Rajbhar community.
— IANS Tweets (@ians_india) July 9, 2021
“The visit of Owaisi to the dargah is an insult to Maharaja Suheldev, who is said to have defeated & killed Masud in a battle at Bahraich in 1034 AD,” he said. pic.twitter.com/JZJS5qpH7C
As the political debate over the visit of Owaisi to the Dargah Sharif at Bahraich continues, let us know more about the fanatic Islamic invader Ghazi Salar Masud alias Ghazi Miyan, who has been glorified as a ‘hero’ by Islamists.
The Islamic invader Ghazi Salar Masud
Ghazi Salar Masud, as per some mentions, was the nephew of barbaric invader Mahmud of Ghaznavi. Though Islamists eulogize Ghazi Salar Masud as a “martyr” who died fighting the “kafirs”, the fact is that Salar Masud was a fanatic who, under the tutelage of his uncle, Mahmud of Ghaznavi, drew pleasure in the rampant killing of Hindus. Masud during the 11th century carried out mass conversions and execution of Hindus. He plundered and destructed Hindu temples and Maths including the sacred Suraj Kund at Bahraich, as he went ahead to conquer various parts of India until Raja Suheldev finally halted his advent.
Ghazi Salar Masud was ultimately killed by Maharaja Suheldev when the two engaged in the fierce Battle of Bahraich in 1034 CE. The battle was fought near Chittaura Lake near the present-day Bahraich city in Uttar Pradesh.
In 1026 CE, during the destruction of the famous Somnath Temple, Mahmud of Ghaznavi was accompanied by his 11-year-old nephew Saiyyad Salar Masud. After the death of Mahmud Ghaznavi, Masud invaded India in May 1031 CE with a 100,000 strong army. He had imbibed the fanatism and barbarism of his uncle.
His first military conflict was with Raja Mahipal Tomar of Delhi, which he conquered. From here he marched into the upper Doab towards Meerut whose ruler Raja Hari Dutt surrendered and accepted Islam. Continuing the series of invasions, killings, loot and destructions, Ghazi Salar Masud eventually conquered Multan, Delhi, Meerut and marched forward.
After several kings were defeated by him, some other kings from Meerut, Badayun, Kannauj etc decided to ally with him instead of fighting against his mighty army. After conquering these places, Masud had planned to invade Ayodhya, a sacred city for Hindus. But to reach Ayodhya, his army had to first cross Bahraich, which fell under Shravasti. During this period the Kingdom of Shravasti was ruled by Raja Suheldev.
When Raja Suhaldev became aware of Masud’s plans, he prepared a counter-attack. He talked to kings of the neighbouring states, and they together formed a large defence force against the invader.
Although the Suhaldev’s army had to face defeat initially, the king motivated the soldiers to fight back with full force, saying that not a single foe should not return alive. After days of intense battle in 1034, Raja Suhaldev was able to trap Salar Masud, and the Muslim invader was killed in the battle. According to legends, none of the 1.5 lakh soldiers in Masud’s army survived the battle and this halted the Islamic conquest of India for almost a century.
