PUSHED TO THE MARGIN
* No Muslims among 32 ASI chiefs since 1861
* No Muslims among 16 Senior Administrative Officers, three Muslims among 37 Senior Conservation Assistants
* ASI protects 3,696 monuments and archaeological sites
* India boasts 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites
THE Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has on its rolls several Muslim officials tasked with key responsibilities of protecting and preserving 3,696 ancient monuments and archaeological sites in the most populous country on the planet. India currently has 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, which include the Taj Mahal, a Mughal-era tomb complex of the mid-16th century. The marbled masterpiece is the only site from India included in the prestigious list, Wonders of the World.
Taj Mahal is the highest revenue-generating ASI-protected monument through ticket sales over the past five years, earning Rs 297 crores. The World Heritage Sites are unique landmarks, including historical structures, cities, buildings, forests, deserts, complexes, lakes, islands, mountains, and monuments. On its rolls are 1,223 sites across 168 countries, comprising 952 cultural sites, 231 natural sites, and 40 sites that have both cultural and natural significance.
Places on the World Heritage List are across 168 countries. India-based World Heritage Sites are in 19 States and Union Territories. India has the sixth-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites globally. With 61 heritage sites, Italy has the highest number, followed by China with 60 sites. The Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Agra Fort, and the Taj Mahal were the first sites from India to be added to UNESCO World Heritage Sites in 1983.
With a budget of US$130 million in 2023–24, the ASI conducts archaeological research and conserves and preserves cultural and historical monuments nationwide. Founded in 1861, the British official, Alexander Cunningham, became its first Director-General. Since then, there had been no Muslim among its 32 chiefs.
The ASI is divided into a total of 38 circles, each headed by a Superintending Archaeologist. In August 2020, the Ministry of Culture added seven new circles of the ASI. These are in Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Trichy (Tamil Nadu), Jhansi and Meerut (Uttar Pradesh), Hampi (Karnataka), Raiganj (West Bengal), and Rajkot (Gujarat). Each circle is further divided into sub-circles – Leh has been added as a ‘mini circle.
There are six Regional Directorates located at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Guwahati, and Bhopal. It has 52 archaeological site museums under its jurisdiction. Officials and experts at these circles carry out archaeological fieldwork, research activities, and implement various provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (AMASR) Act of 1958 and Antiquities and Art Treasures Act of 1972. The ASI carries out surveys of antiquarian remains, exploration and excavation of archaeological sites, and conservation and maintenance of protected monuments.
The number of ASI employees, according to an official document, across its three categories currently stands at 4,845 against a sanctioned strength of 8,755. The ASI currently oversees 143 ‘ticketed monuments’ spread across the country, which have seen 53 million domestic visitors and 3.63 million foreign visitors in 2024. Taj Mahal accounted for 16.6 per cent of total foreign visitors at ASI monuments. Taj Mahal attracted a total of 6.10 million domestic and 0.68 million foreign tourists. Shockingly, a Parliamentary Panel observed that 531 monuments or 14.4 per cent of ASI’s total 3696 ‘Centrally Protected Monuments’ have been encroached, to date, according to a new book by Mohammed Abdul Mannan, At the Bottom of the Ladder: State of the Indian Muslims – https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0GF1Q9R25. The book quantified Muslim presence in 150 key organisations, including Union ministries, departments, and organisations.
There are no Muslims among the 16 Senior Administrative Officers and Administrative Officers. Among the 37 Senior Conservation Assistants, three are Muslims – Abid Bhai Mansuri (Vadodara), Syed Ismail (Chennai), and N Muhsina (Kerala).
None of the seven Assistant Library and Information Officers is a Muslim, as is the case with 12 Horticulture Assistants, and four Assistant Superintending Horticulturists. Four among 159 Senior Secretariat Assistants are Muslims. Six are Muslims among 162 Junior Secretariat Assistants.
None of its four Assistant Superintending Epigraphists (Dravidian and Sanskrit Inscriptions) is a Muslim, as is the case with 16 Library and Information Assistants and Officers. Four are Muslims among 95 Assistant Archaeologists – Jamal Akhtar, Shahid Quraishi, Dr Mohammed Azhar Sabir, and Hilal Ahmad Mir. None is a Muslim among 22 Superintending Archaeological Chemists and Deputy Superintending Archaeological Chemists, as is the case with six Photographers, and 10 Stenographers.
Two Muslims among 35 Superintending Archaeologists are Aftab Hussain (Lucknow Circle) and Dr Izhar Alam Hashmi (Jhansi Circle). The ASI’s 38 Circles has on their rolls 268 officials who include 11 Muslims – C P Mohammad Sameer, Deputy Superintending Archaeological Chemist at Dharwad Circle; Dr Izhar Alam Hashmi, Superintending Archaeologist (In-charge Leh Mini Circle); Aftab Hussain Superintending Archaeologist (Lucknow Circle); Zulfiqar Ali (Director-Monument II); Shaik Jilani Basha, Deputy Superintending Archaeological Engineer; Syed Ismail, Senior Conservation Assistant; Mohammed Imran, Junior Secretariat Assistant; Mudassar Ali, Conservation Assistant (Akbar’s Tomb – Sikandarabad, Agra); and Mohammed Tausif, Conservation Assistant (Bhopal Circle).
Among its 100 Assistant Archaeologists are five Muslims – Zamal Akhtar (New Delhi), Avid Khan, Hilal Ahmad, Shahid Quraishi (all Delhi Circle), and Mohammed Azhar Sabir. The highest number of nationally protected monuments (NPMs) under the ASI – 745 – are in Uttar Pradesh. Telangana has eight, including Charminar and Golconda Fort. Delhi has a disproportionate 173 NPMs. A culturally rich state such as Manipur has only one.
The NPMs include large forts and palaces and several obscure tombs and ruins. The ASI had identified 138 monuments as ‘Must See’. The National Monuments Authority implements heritage by-laws and site plans for each monument. It has been notified that only 31 monuments and about 210 are now in the finalisation process, a fraction of the monuments on the list of National Protected Monuments.
In 1951, the country only had 368 national monuments, most of them of genuine importance. The Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act 1958 (amended in 2010) has neither a precise definition nor a process for identifying a monument for preservation. It is currently done at the whims of the ASI by simply issuing a notification. The State Protected Monuments are designated by the ASI.
The state governments are authorised to maintain, protect and promote the State Protected Monuments. Presently, a total of 4,134 are state-protected monuments. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana each have 500 monuments, as of 2013 as per the official records. In March 2020, the Union government informed that the number of monuments under its protection could increase as the government was planning a review of those under the ASI and the ones protected by state governments.
The list of nationally protected monuments had not seen a substantial increase in many years, and important sites under the state governments could be added to the list. On the other hand, some monuments could be removed from the Central list and placed under the state governments. According to a submission made in Parliament by the Ministry of Culture in January 2023, as many as 50 of India’s 3,693 ASI-protected monuments are missing.
The protected monuments are sites which have been declared so under the provisions of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act). The act regulates the preservation of monuments and archaeological sites of national and historical importance that are more than 100 years old.
Under the act, the conservation, preservation and environmental development of the protected monuments are undertaken by the ASI. As per the ASI submission in Parliament, 14 monuments have been lost to rapid urbanisation, 12 are submerged by reservoirs/dams, and 24 are untraceable, which brings the number of missing monuments to 50. As per ASI officials, a comprehensive physical survey of all monuments has never been conducted after Independence.
As per the report, only 248 out of the 3,693 monuments are protected by security guards. Owing to budgetary constraints, the government could afford to provide only 2,578 security personnel at 248 locations. According to the ASI, physical surveys of all monuments were never conducted after Independence.
However, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report in 2013 said that at least 92 centrally protected monuments were deemed to be missing across the country. The ASI has substantive criteria and detailed procedures for declaring ‘Monuments of National Importance’, pointing out several flaws with the AMASR Act of 1958, which governs MNIs. The Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), in a recent report, has suggested that the number of Monuments of National Importance (MNIs) be rationalised, and their criteria for selection be revamped.
To read and obtain more data, please visit:
At the Bottom of the Ladder: State of the Indian Muslims – https://www.amazon.in/dp/B0GF1Q9R25
Next: Only one Muslim among 92 officials at the Forest Survey of India
