Tourists flee as ASI, CISF flout SC, take tiff inside Taj

Employees of the Archaeological Survey of India today organised a protest inside the Taj Mahal against the alleged assault on one of their c...

Employees of the Archaeological Survey of India today organised a protest inside the Taj Mahal against the alleged assault on one of their colleagues by the CISF at the monument’s gate on Tuesday.

Ignoring the Supreme Court’s directive against demonstrations in the vicinity of Taj Mahal, the ASI employees locked the monument’s western gate and the main entrance from inside and shouted slogans against the CISF, frightening away tourists.

Eyewitnesses said the gates remained locked for more than 10 minutes and could only be forced open by the CISF reserve guards.

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A CISF guard allegedly hit ASI employee Hakim Singh on the western gate accusing him of reselling the tickets collected from tourists. When Singh protested, he was allegedly thrashed by the other guards as well. Singh’s colleagues had to intervene.

Singh denied reselling the tickets but added that even then CISF had no right to check the tickets. He claimed the CISF had been warned several times by the district magistrate not to interfere in the ticketing process.

The CISF Deputy Commandant stationed at Taj Mahal, Himanshu Pandey, said that reselling of tickets posed a grave danger to the monument but did not explain how.