Police in Agra went into a tizzy on Monday evening after an unidentified caller said there was a bomb at the Taj Mahal. Police and security agencies searched for the bomb but it turned out to be a hoax.
Raja Singh, the in-charge of Tajganj police station, said the phone call was received at the emergency number 100 at Lucknow around 9.40pm.
A search operation was launched and the carried and a Bomb Disposal Squad was called in.
The lights around Taj Mahal were put on and sniffer dogs were also brought in.
Security personnel during their search operation near the Taj Mahal on Monday. (HT photo)
All possible locations in and around the Taj Mahal were checked but nothing was found and the search operation ended at about 11pm, said Raja Singh.
The phone number from which the hoax call was made was later found switched off.
The phone call came on a day when a dozen youths belonging to Hindu outfits were caught reciting Shiva Chalisa (hymn) on the premises of the Taj Mahal, causing tension at the iconic monument, which, they claimed, was originally a Shiv temple.
The youths, belonging to Rashtra Swabhimaan Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini, were taken away by CISF personnel and released after they submitted a written apology.
Security personnel during their search operation near the Taj Mahal on Monday. (HT photo)
The incident comes a week after controversial BJP MLA Sangeet Som questioned the Taj Mahal’s place in history, saying that the iconic monument was built by ‘traitors’ who targeted Hindus. His comments caused a political stir across the country following which the BJP governments in UP and the Centre distanced themselves from the MLA’s comments.
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath is slated to visit the Taj Mahal on October 26 to review various schemes related to tourism in Agra.
Source: HindustanTimes