Militant Hindutva groups have reportedly vandalised the entrance of the famous Taj Mahal monument. The agitated members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad alleged that turnstile gate being installed at the western entrance of the Taj Mahal “blocked the path to a 400-year-old temple”, reported Hindustan Times.

Local cops registered a case against 30 people on the complaint of Tarun Dutt Sharma, conservation assistant for Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) at Taj Mahal.

“The gate being installed is blocking passage to Siddheshwar Mahadev temple at Basai Ghat alongside the western wall of Taj Mahal. The temple is 400 years old and has been in existence prior to Taj Mahal. So there is no logic in blocking passage to the temple. But ASI officials did not heed to our requests,” Ravi Dubey, a VHP functionary, was quoted as saying.

The video posted by Aaj Tak showed dramatic visuals with the right-wing Hindutva groups holding hammers and iron rods while desperately trying to vandalise the gate of the historic monument.

The news of VHP members vandalising the entrance of the Mausoleum became a topic of social media conversation too.

Just In: Hindutva elements indulge in vandalism and damage the gate of Taj Mahal. — Tathagata Bau (@be_tatha) June 12, 2018

What’s this news of vandalism of a part of Taj Mahal? @Interceptors – is it true? — Rohini Singh (@rohini_sgh) June 12, 2018

VHP workers vandalise western gate of Taj Mahal. Congratulations, India! Well deserved! — Sanjiv Bhatt (IPS) (@sanjivbhatt) June 12, 2018

A BJP lawmaker on Monday had threatened to rename Tah Mahal to ‘Ram Mahal or Krishna Mahal.’ BJP MLA Surendra Singh also said that there was no need to demolish the monument, widely considered to be a symbol of love, but renaming to Ram Mahal will suffice. One leading RSS ideologue had become a laughing stock on social media after he famously claimed that the historic monument was not built by Shajahan.

The scene was reminiscent of the demolition of another historic monument, Babri Masjid, which the members of the same group supported by the BJP had brought it down on 6 December 1992.