Samajwadi Party MP Zia Ur Rehman Barq courted controversy after he threatened to ban Hindus from entering Dargahs in response to restrictions allegedly placed on Muslims from participating in the Kumbh Mela.
Barq suggested that Muslims could consider barring Hindus from Islamic places of worship, such as mosques and shrines to counter limitations on Muslim entry in Kumbh Mela. He claimed that this new trend of barring Muslims from the Kumbh violates the constitution and that the silence of the Yogi Adityanath government implies support for such actions.
In Bareilly, All India Muslim Jamaat President Maulana Mufti Shahabuddin Razvi Barelvi also weighed in on the controversy. He stated that the Kumbh Mela should proceed peacefully but expressed regret that the Akhada Parishad has announced that Muslim-owned shops will not be allowed. Maulana Razvi urged the Uttar Pradesh government to take legal action against those responsible and to reverse the Akhada Parishad’s decision.
The banning of Muslims from entering the Prayagraj Maha Kumbh Mela is heating up. Various Hindu leaders, including Dhirendra Shastri of Bageshwar Dham, along with Hindu organizations, have expressed support for restricting Muslim entry into the Kumbh Mela. Some scholars have pointed out that just as Saudi Arabia restricts access for non-Muslims, including Hindus, to Mecca and Medina during the Hajj pilgrimage, Muslims should respect Hinduism’s largest sacred event and maintain distance.
