'Mazar' inside school where Rahul Gandhi studied razed

A 'mazar' within the walls of a famous residential school in Dehradun was razed following protests by right-wing Hindu outfits.

The structure stood inside The Doon School which has among its alumni several celebrities and political leaders including former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, his son Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia Karan Singh, Naveen Patnaik besides celebrated authors like Amitav Ghosh and Vikram Seth.

It is the most famous British-era private boarding school for boys in Dehradun.

Purported videos of a group of four to five men demolishing the shrine using pick axes and hammers have gone viral on social media.

The incident took place a couple of days ago, Dehradun District Magistrate Savin Bansal told PTI on Friday.

"We did not issue any orders for its demolition. However, we did send a team including the SDM to the place to verify the facts related to the mazar and ensure that law and order are maintained," Bansal said.

He said that he had sought a report on the incident from his team.

Hindu outfit leader Swami Darshan Bharti said he had met Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and the authorities here recently requesting them to demolish the mazar within the boundaries of the school.

"Whoever may have done it, I welcome the demolition. Why should there be a mazar within a school? That too inside the walls of a prestigious school like The Doon School... It shows the extent of land jihad in the state," Bharti, who is the founder of Uttarakhand Raksha Abhiyan, told PTI.

According to sources, the mazar was old and had been recently renovated by the school authorities.

The chief minister launched a crackdown against illegal encroachments on government land in 2022. Encroachments on 5,000 acres of government land have so far been removed as part of the drive, officials said.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Waqf Board claimed that the part of the school on which the mazar stood used to be their property at one time.

"According to our records, 57 acres of land in the said area belonged to us but its current status is not known," a Waqf Board official said on condition of anonymity.

The Waqf Board still owns a large portion of land adjacent to the school, he said.

When contacted, Uttarakhand Waqf Board Chairman Shadab Shams said he was aware of the demolition of the mazar inside the school.

Asked if the land belongs to the Waqf Board, he said only a detailed investigation by the administration can ascertain that.