'Strict action will be taken': Eknath Shinde on Yakoob Memon's grave beautification

New Delhi: Amid the controversy over beautification of 1993 Mumbai blast convict Yakoob Memon’s grave, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday said that an inquiry has been ordered into the matter and promised strict action against those responsible.

“An inquiry has been ordered. Investigation has also been started. Strict actions will be taken against the persons responsible,” Shinde said.

An inquiry has been ordered. Investigation has also been started. Strict actions will be taken against the persons responsible: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde on 1993 Mumbai blast convict, Yakoob Memon’s grave beautification controversy (08.09) pic.twitter.com/sLiuLaL08n

— ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2022

On Thursday, a controversy erupted over the burial place of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon in Mumbai, with the ruling BJP claiming that the grave was “beautified” and attempts were made to turn it into a shrine of sorts.

The BJP claimed that Memon’s grave was “beautified” during Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s tenure as Maharashtra chief minister and sought his apology over it.

However, the Sena leaders maintained that the party and the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had nothing to do with it and that it was being dragged into the issue unnecessarily.

As the row erupted over the issue, Mumbai police swung into action on Thursday, removing the LED lights put around the grave of the terror convict, who was hanged at Nagpur jail in 2015 and buried at the Bada Qabrastan in south Mumbai.

A DCP-level police officer will probe how the LED lights and marble tiles came to “adorn” the terror convict’s grave, an official said.

With some Maharashtra BJP leaders targeting the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, the latter said the whole issue was an attempt to divert people’s attention from more important issues like inflation and unemployment.

A police official said halogen lights were installed in the Bada Qabrastan on the occasion of Badi Raat (Shab-e-Barat) and have been removed by the Qabrastan trustees.

Shab-e-Barat is a major celebration for the Muslim community is also known as the night of fortune and forgiveness.

The marble tiles around Memon’s grave were put up three years ago, he said. There are 13 other graves at the place, he added.

With inputs from agencies

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