New Delhi: United Hindu Front (UHF) working president, Jai Bhagwan Goyal claimed Tuesday that he has been placed under house arrest at his residence in the national capital. “At least 10-15 police personnel are outside my house in Shahdara. They are not allowing me to leave,” the Jai Bhagwan told this agency.
Several people affiliated to right wing groups had earlier Tuesday gathered outside the world heritage site Qutab Minar. They had done so to recite the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ (Hindu prayer) on a call given by the UHF chief.
When this agency contacted Delhi police, a senior official said Jai Bhagwan has not been placed under any ‘house arrest’. “We received instructions from the south Delhi police not to allow Jai Bhagwan to reach the Qutub Minar,” official sources said. They added that the police have been deployed just to ensure that Goyal does not reach Qutub Minar. “He is not under house arrest,” the source said.
The origins of Qutab Minar are shrouded in controversy. Some believe it was erected as a tower of victory to signify the beginning of the Muslim rule in India. Others say it served as a minaret for the muezzins to call the faithful to prayer.
According to Delhi Tourism, Qutub Minar is a soaring, 73-metre high tower of victory, built in 1193 by Qutub-ud-din Aibak immediately after the defeat of Delhi’s last Hindu king.
The tower has five distinct storeys, each marked by a projecting balcony and tapers from a 15-metre diameter at the base to just 2.5 metre at the top.