Demolish Humayun's Tomb to solve graveyard problem in Delhi: Shia Waqf Board

The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Shia Central Waqf Board has suggested demolition of Humayun's Tomb and its conversion into a graveyard for Muslims. In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Board president Waseem Rizvi has said this would solve the grave problem being faced by the Muslims of Delhi for burying the dead.

The All India Rabta-e-Masajid and Madaris-e-Islamia of Yamuna Vihar, in letters to the UP Shia Central Waqf Board dated October 15, lamented the paucity of space for graveyard in the national capital. They said the old burial grounds had got filled up and there no space for building new ones either.

The two organisations have requested the UP Shia Waqf Board to provide land for burial ground in the neighbouring state close to the Delhi border.

The Board said it examined the cities in UP close to the Delhi border but found that there was no land available with it for the purpose. However, it said, the problem concerning the Muslims living in Delhi was really serious and required to be solved in public interest.

The Board has suggested to the PM to demolish the Humayun's Tomb situated in the Nizamuddin area of the national capital and convert it into a burial ground.

Giving the reasons behind its proposal, Rizvi said the Humayun's Tomb is spread in an area of 35 acres. "It is not a religious place. It will be considered as a graveyard because of the grave present there."

He further said the Mughals had come from various countries to loot India. "These Mughals snatched away the kingdoms from the kings, looted them and became the rulers. They extorted the hard-earned earnings of



the people by imposing lagans for several generations.

"The Mughals caused immense harm to India's old culture and traditions. According to historians, the Mughals demolished more than 3,000 temples by misusing their power and rule," he said.

The Board went on to allege that the Mughal kings were neither propagators of Islam nor they were efficient rulers. "That is the reason why their grand graves cannot be the national heritage," he said.

The Board has suggested that Humayun's Tomb should be removed from the list of national heritage, demolished and converted into a graveyard for the Muslims.

The Board said there was no hindrance as per Islam in demolishing the Humayuns's Tomb. "The community to which Humayun belonged does not recognise any tomb," it said and cited some cases of Sunni Muslims in Saudia Arabia.

He said those graves, called Jannatul Baqi, were in the form of a grand tomb. "The tomb was razed on April 21, 1925 by the then ruler of Saudi Arabia after not according Islamic recognition to it," he said.

The Board said Humayun's Tomb should meet the same fate as Jannatul Baqi. He hoped that those Muslims identifying themselves with Humayun's community should not have any problem.

The Board further said the government does not earn from the Humayun's Tomb. On the contrary, it said, the government has to spend lakhs of rupees on the maintenance of the tomb. This money is the hard-earned income of the people of the country and should be used for development of the country. "Money should not be wasted on the upkeep of tombs of rulers who were loots and ruffians," it said.