The Qutub Minar complex is home to many Hindu and Jain idols. 'Ulta Ganesh' and 'Ganesh in cage', two such idols, were the subject of a letter sent by the National Monuments Authority (NMA) to the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
The letter says the idols should be given a 'respectable' place at the NMA as the current 'placement of the idols is disrespectful'.
According to NMA chief and BJP leader, Tarun Vijay, the placement of the idols is near the feet of the mosque visitors. Vijay also said that after Independence, statues of British rulers were removed from prominent places and names of roads changed to remove traces of colonial past, the same should be done for the Mughal cultural genocide by righting the wrongs.
The idols were allegedly taken after demolishing 27 Jain and Hindu temples built by Anangpal Toman.
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In December 2021, a Delhi court had rejected a petition seeking the restoration of Hindu and Jain deities and the right to worship within the Qutub Minar complex. The judgement was appealed and will now be heard on May 11.