Mathura village name board defaced, changed to 'Raghuwarpur' from 'Akbarpur'

Unidentified persons defaced a village name board on the Delhi-Agra national highway in Mathura district and painted over the name 'Akbarpur', replacing it with 'Raghuwarpur', police said on Friday.

The incident came to light after a video went viral on social media, prompting police to launch an inquiry.

Officials said the act appears to be linked to a remark made last month by Bageshwar Dham head priest Dhirendra Krishna Shastri during the concluding address of a padyatra held from Delhi to Vrindavan from November 7 to 16.

Shastri had mentioned seeing the 'Akbarpur' village signboard and expressed that it "should be renamed to Raghuwarpur."

Police clarified that Shastri's comment was addressed to the government and did not call upon people to carry out the renaming on their own.

However, unknown individuals appeared to have acted independently and altered the board, the police said.

Bhushan Verma, Circle Officer of Chhata, said the offenders smeared the Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department board with black paint to obscure the word 'Akbarpur' and wrote 'Raghuwarpur' in its place.

He said an investigation has been initiated and steps are being taken to restore the signboard to its original form.

"The accused will be identified, and legal action will be taken," Verma added.