Jaipur, March 16 (IANS) A fake news that the Rajasthan government has allowed namaz at the Kumbhalgarh Fort of Udaipur has gone viral on the social media and the polics are showing their inability to take any action.
The unchecked circulation of the message on Twitter and Facebook is helping it garner thousands of retweets and likes and the kind of reactions it is generating in the social media may pose a threat to peace and harmony in the state.
The police, however, expressed its inability to cross check the fact as the Supreme Court had in October 2015 scrapped the Section 66A of the Information Technology Act 2000, citing the liberty of thoughts and expression as cardinal.
Interestingly, the tweet originated from one Dr. Gaurav Pradhan, being followed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Digvijaya Singh.
The message reads: What Akbar couldn’t do, Gehlot government has done. It has permitted Namaaz inside the holy fort of Maharana Pratap, which once used to echo with Shiva slogans.
“Akbar na kar saka, woh Ashok Gehlot ne kar dikhaya… Rajasthan Sarkar ne Maharana Pratap ke Kumbhalgarh Kile mein Iztema ki izaazat pradan ki, Jis kile mein hamesha eklingnath, har har mahadev ka jaighosh hota raha, waha pehli baar allah akbar gunjega.”
Congress leader Ashok Gehlot was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Rajasthan on December 17, 2018.
The Kumbhalgarh Fort is the birthplace of Mewar king Maharana Pratap who fought the famous Haldighati battle with Mughal Emperor Akbar in Rajasthan. It is a revered place for Rajputs.
Speaking to IANS, Bhuvan Bhushan, Superintendent of Police, Rajsamand, confirmed that a group of Muslims had planned to organise a similar kind of event at the fort on March 10. They had also invited an Imam from Uttar Pradesh.
“The district collector and I personally called them for discussion and asked them to refrain from any such event, which can be a threat to social harmony,” he said.
He also expressed his inability to check the same (social media message) saying Section 66A of the Information Technology Act 2000 has been struck down by the apex court. People are just not afraid of any clause, he added.
Meanwhile, Narpat Singh, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kumbhalgarh, told IANS it seems the message has been made viral to polarise the masses.
“There is no ground reality in it. As of now, no complaint has been submitted in this context. If someone reports the matter, we shall definitely take action,” he said.
The fort comes under the Archaeological Survey of India, hence, only ASI officials can permit any such event in the premises and not the state government, he added.
Meanwhile, the ASI officials said no such event had been organised in the premises of the fort.
However, the groups active on Facebook with thousands of followers continue to circulate this message on social media, and the people have started discussing it in the state.
–IANS
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