BJP MP Medha Kukrani holds guamutra purification at Pune fort after women offer namaz

A political controversy has erupted after three women were seen offering Namaz at Pune’s Shaniwarwada, a historic fort, in a now viral video. The row began after BJP MP Medha Kulkarni held a purification ritual by cleaning the spot where the women prayed with Gaumutra (cow’s urine) and performing Shiv vandana.

The party also held demonstrations against the move. A case was also registered against the three women in the video. The video, which has been shared widely online, showed the women, who are wearing hijabs, offering namaz at the site. The historic site at Pune was built in 1732 and was the seat of the Peshwas of the Maratha empire for years.

The clip was posted on Saturday by Medha Kulkarni, who performed the purification ritual. She had asked people to gather at the site to perform Shicva Vandana.

In a tweet, she said, "Shaniwarwada will not hold Namaz recitation, the Hindu community has now awakened!". She said the incident was a matter of concern and outrage for every Punekar.

Maharashtra Minister Nitesh Rane also joined in to condemn the incident. Speaking to news agency ANI, he said, "If you want to offer namaz there, will you be fine with Hindus going to Haji Ali and chanting Hanuman Chalisa? Will your sentiments not be hurt? One should offer prayers only at the designated places. If Hindu workers raised their voice, then it is correct,"

The FIR filed by the Pune City police came under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Rules, 1959, for violating rules and restrictions applicable to protected monuments. The complaint was filed by an Archaeological Survey of India ASI officer.

Opposition leaders criticized the party's reaction . Ajit Pawar's NCP spokesperson Rupali Patil Thombre  asked police to file a case against the BJP MP for trying to incite communal tensions;  "She is raising the issue of Hindu versus Muslim, while both communities live together in harmony in Pune," Thombre said.

AIMIM spokesperson, Waris Pathan, said that the BJP was "destroying the secularism and pluralism" of India. "They are only spreading hatred. If 3-4 Muslim women offered namaz at one location on jummah, then what trouble did it cause? We never objected when Hindus do garba in trains or at airports. ASI-protected monuments are for everyone. A 3-minute namaz troubled you so much. But Article 25 of the Constitution provides the Right to Freedom of Religion. So, how much hatred will you spread? You should purify your mind, the mind that harbours hatred," he said.

Congress senior spokesperson Sachin Sawant said in a post on X, seeing Muslim women offering namaz in Shaniwar Wada on Saturday, the BJP folks sprinkled cow urine on them—this sight makes one want to slap their forehead in disbelief. Does Shaniwar Wada seem like a pilgrimage site to them? Has anyone stopped you from sitting there and chanting jap?

India