Hindu Sena's Bizarre Demand To Amit Shah: 'Make Praising Aurangzeb Punishable Offence'

Last Updated:March 06, 2025, 20:01 IST

Among its other demands in a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Hindu Sena also wants Aurangzeb’s remains to be "exhumed, incinerated and immersed in the Arabian Sea"

Hindu Sena national president Vishnu Gupta has written to Union home minister Amit Shah to declare Mughal ruler Aurangzeb as "barbaric". (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

Amid a controversy over a statement on Aurangzeb made by Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi, the Hindu Sena – a right-wing fringe outfit – has made a bizarre demand to Union Home Minister Amit Shah. It wants the act of “praising" the Mughal ruler to be made a “punishable offence".

And the demands over the issue do not end there – the Hindu Sena also wants Aurangzeb’s remains to be “exhumed, incinerated and immersed in the Arabian Sea". Some of their more tame demands include that he should be declared a “barbaric ruler" while all roads and public places named after him should be renamed.

Azmi had recently said he does not view Aurangzeb as a cruel, tyrannical, or intolerant ruler, drawing massive criticism from the BJP. He was, however, strongly supported in his sentiments by Bihar AIMIM president and MLA Akhtarul Iman.

ALSO READ | SP MLA Abu Azmi Suspended From Maharashtra Assembly For Praising Aurangzeb

The Hindu Sena’s national president, Vishnu Gupta, has now written to Shah to declare the Mughal ruler as “barbaric" as well as rename all roads and places named after him. He went a step further to request that his remains should be exhumed and immersed in the Arabian Sea.

“Similar to what the government of the United States of America did with the remains of Osama Bin Laden and the French and Russian Revolution, Aurangzeb’s remains in Sambhajinagar, Maharashtra, must be exhumed, incinerated and immersed in the Arabian Sea," he wrote in his letter.

Gupta cited some of Aurangzeb’s tyranny, calling him an “intolerant bigot". He also requested the union minister to consider making the act of praising Aurangzeb a punishable offence.

“We wish the government would release a gazette notification and fulfil our demands," he said in a video statement released to the media.

ALSO READ | Amidst Abu Azmi Row, What Nehru Said About Aurangzeb, How History Remembers The Mughal Ruler | Explained

WHAT DID ABU AZMI SAY?

On March 3, in his defence of Aurangzeb, Azmi had said: “Wrong things are being said about Aurangzeb. He constructed a lot of temples for Hindus. He even got one of his soldiers trampled by elephants when he wanted to marry a Hindu priest’s daughter. As a mark of their gratitude, they constructed a mosque for Muslims. History has been distorted."

He further said during Aurangzeb’s reign, India’s border reached Afghanistan and Burma (Myanmar). “Our GDP accounted for 24% (of the world GDP), and India was called a golden sparrow (during his regime)," he added.

The Maharashtra police registered a case against the MLA under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) over his remarks. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has taken this matter seriously and demanded that he should be tried for treason.

ALSO READ | Fadnavis, Uddhav Back Abu Azmi’s Suspension From Assembly In Big Aurangzeb Row, Akhilesh Hits Back

But, the SP leader has now withdrawn his statement. He said he wants the issue to be laid to rest, following which Akhtarul Iman has filled the void. “Aurangzeb was a noble emperor. He earned a livelihood by stitching caps. He didn’t use taxpayers’ money on himself. He was buried here. He didn’t loot and leave like the British, but he served this country. He unified India, stretching it from Afghanistan to Burma (Myanmar), and made it ‘Akhand Bharat’. He treated both temples and mosques equally," he said.

News politics Hindu Sena's Bizarre Demand To Amit Shah: 'Make Praising Aurangzeb Punishable Offence'