Youth charged with sedition charges for raising 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogan inside Taj Mahal

Ankit Kumar Namdev, who is the assistant conservator of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), has lodged an FIR with the Agra Police at Tajganj police station.

The accused has been charged  under section 124A (sedition) and section 505(1)(b) (intent to cause, or likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public, or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against public tranquillity), of the Indian Penal Code.

The action was taken after a video surfaced online which purportedly showed a youth raising the slogans inside the premises of the Taj Mahal.

The 27-second video was shot during the traditional Urs procession, reported the Times of India.

“A video shot on the afternoon of April 4 inside the Taj Mahal, showed a youth among a group of teenagers raising ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans. The incident occurred, when the group were taking out traditional Urs procession carrying chadar from the main gateway," the TOI quoted the FIR.

“It is prohibited to raise slogans inside the Taj Mahal. We have requested the CISF, which looks after the security of the mausoleum to provide the CCTV footage of the incident in order to identify the accused,” as per the FIR filed by Namdev.