Row over namaz

ALL citizens should be equal in the eyes of the law, but there are times when some are more equal than others. A case has been registered against three women under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Rules, 1959. They allegedly defied restrictions regarding protected monuments by offering namaz on the premises of Pune’s historic Shaniwar Wada. After the prayer video went viral, BJP workers led by Rajya Sabha MP Medha Kulkarni and others staged a protest at the site and sprinkled gaumutra (cow urine) to ‘purify’ the place. It’s baffling that the Archaeological Survey of India and the police did not construe these actions as “prohibited activities” within a protected monument as per the rules.