Last Mughal emperor's 'descendant' offers golden brick for Ram Mandir
A self-proclaimed descendant of the Mughal dynasty, Prince Habeebuddin Tucy, has reiterated his rightful claim to the controversial Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya. Tucy claims to be the last living descendant of the last Mughal emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar II. However, he has offered to build a Ram temple at the site, and vowed to donate a golden brick to lay the foundation.
Speaking to The Times of India, the 50-year-old said, "Not only will I present a golden brick, I will also hand over the entire land for construction of the temple." Reportedly, he had also petitioned to the Supreme Court on February 8 to implead him in the Babri Masjid dispute, however, the apex court is yet to hear the plea.
Tucy insisted, "No other party in the case has ownership documents of the property but I, as a descendant of the Mughal rulers, have a right to express my opinion onto whom the land should be given." Asked if he has documents, Tucy claimed that the Taj Mahal's cellar doors are opened annually for him to conduct the Urs ceremony of emperor Shah Jahan.
The Babri Masjid was built by Mughal emperor Babur in 1529. In 1992, it was infamously demolished by 'kar sevaks', who claimed it was originally the site of a temple of Lord Ram, whose birthplace is said to be Ayodhya. A five-judge Constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, is hearing all arguments in the case on a day-to-day basis since August 6.
Last year too, Tucy had staked claim to the Ram Janmabhoomi site and promised to build a temple, while offering prayers at the makeshift temple. He had also apologized to Hindus by placing 'charan-paduka' on his head. In 2005, he had staked claim to Taj Mahal, and said he never spoke before since the Archaeological Survey of India took good care of "his inheritance."
Tucy claims to be a sixth-generation descendant of the Mughals. He says he's the second son Prince Yaqub Arifuddin Tucy, who is the son of Laila Ummani. Ummani is allegedly the great-granddaughter of Bahadur Shah Zafar. Shah Zafar had 49 sons and daughters. According to TOI, Tucy has descended from his son Mirza Quaish, who fled to Kathmandu in the British era.
