Meet man who claims to be descendent of Mughals, says he has rights over Taj Mahal because...

Instances of people coming out of nowhere and claiming to be descendants of royal dynasties are no less. Recently, a man named Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy, a ‘prince’, who wears a royal headgear and a robe, claims he is the descendent of Mughal dynasty. He owns a family tree that shows that he is the sixth descendent of Bahadur Shah Zafar, the last Mughal emperor.  

Yakub Habeebuddin Tucy’s royal claims 

He came to be known after he claimed to be an heir of Mughal dynasty and claiming rights over significant heritage properties like Mughal Dynasty’s most prominent heritage and monument Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, and the controversial Ayodhya Ram Mandir site. Tucy currently lives in  Sridattanagar in Hyderabad’s kanchanbagh area where he takes care of Aurangzeb’s grave. He calls Bahadur Shah Zafar as “true freedom fighter” “who did not give in to the British”. He further says, “I come from a family that has such a nationalist spirit.”  

He has been carrying these claims for years and even submitted a DNA report before the Hyderabad court as proof for his claims, which the court even admitted, further strengthening his case. He owns a X social media account where his bio reads, “This is the official account of Prince Yakub Tucy l The Great Grandson of Mughal Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar l Care-Taker of the Mughal Wakf Properties of India.” His Facebook page boasts of over 30 pictures in which he can be seen meeting prominent personalities like India’s former presidents Pranab Mukherjee and Ram Nath Kovind.  

He has married to a woman named Humaira Fatima whom he claims is the princess in the royal Mughal dynasty. 

Prince Yakub’s claims to Ayodhya Ram Mandir 

For three decades both Hindu and Muslim communities have laid claims to the site of Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Hindus claimed ownership rights due to their belief that Lord Ram was born there, and Muslims claimed the land as they claim that first Mughal emperor Babur built Babri Masjid there. Believing the second claim, Prince Yakub said that he and his family are the legitimate owners of the land. He did not object to the building of Ram Mandir at the site and even gave a golden brick for the same.