Right-wing workers deface Bahadur Shah Zafar's mural thinking to be Aurangzeb

Workers of the right-wing organisation Hindu Raksha Dal defaced a mural of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor, mistakenly believing it to be of Aurangzeb.

The incident took place on April 18 at the Ghaziabad railway station in Uttar Pradesh. The Hindutva supporters sprayed black paint on the mural protesting against ‘Aurangzeb’s’ atrocities against the Hindu community.

“Why do we have pictures of such a man (Aurangzeb) who has destroyed our temples and created mosques and killed our sisters? The youth of today have awakened, and they will not tolerate these activities,” said Pinki Chaudhary, president of Hindu Raksha Dal.

#WATCH | Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh | Members of the Hindu Raksha Dal blackened a painting at the Ghaziabad Railway Station.

DRM of Delhi Division, Northern Railway, Pushpesh Raman Tripathi says, "It (the painting) was not of Aurangzeb, it was of Bahadur Shah Zafar...It is not… pic.twitter.com/A0uOmaPFMw

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) April 18, 2025

The Railway Protection Force has registered an FIR against unidentified individuals under Sections 147 (unlawful entry upon or into any part of a railway) and 166 (defacing) of the Railways Act.

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Speaking on the issue, divisional railway manager Rupesh Raman Tripathi condemned the act. “I know that it was Bahadur Shah Zafar’s portrait and he had a huge role in the 1857 revolt. This was not a good act. No one has the right to deface public property and we take action once it is brought to our notice,” he said.

Bahadur Shah Zafar is the great-great-grandson of Aurangzeb.

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