‘SHIVLING’ FOUND FLOATS
AS PANEL WRAPS UP GYANVAPI MOSQUE SURVEY
The survey of Gyanvapi mosque premises, adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath temple, was completed on Monday. While the report of the survey is yet to be submitted in the court, the Hindu petitioners claimed that a big Shivling was found inside a pond located on the mosque premises. However, the mosque management committee has denied the claim and said only parts of a fountain were found. Meanwhile, Keshav Prasad Maurya, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister, said the truth had come out finally.
After the claim of finding a Shivling on the mosque premises started doing rounds, a joyous Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) said it would call a meeting of its central committee in Hardwar on June 11 and 12 to discuss future course of action.
According to Sharad Sharma, media in-charge of VHP, saints, seers and officebearers of the organisation
would be present at the Hardwar meeting.
Amid claims and counter claims doing the rounds, advocate commissioner Ajay Mishra refused to comment on the issue and said he would only submit a report in the court. The district administration of Varanasi too refrained from commenting on the findings of the survey team and said people should not believe in rumors and wait for an official statement. It said if any of the party had
said something about the findings of the survey, it should be interpreted as their ‘personal opinion’. Immediately after the news of ‘finding’ a Shivling spread, one of the Hindu petitioners in the case, Rakhi Singh, approached the court asking for restoration of the site and preventing people from offering prayers there in large numbers. The court directed the district administration to seal the site and prohibit entry of people.
Initially, a group of five women had filed a case in Varanasi court seeking permission to offer regular prayers in the temple located inside the Gyanwapi mosque and said that there are idols of Lord Ganesha, Hanuman and Nandi on the wall, which should be restored. After this writ, the court appointed an advocate commissioner asking him to videograph the premises and submit a report.
After the survey was completed on Monday, the Hindu petitioners claimed that a black stone was found inside the mosque, which is Shivling. One of the petitioners in the case Sohanlal Arya said there was enough evidence in the survey. However, the mosque committee said that nothing substantial was and the claims made by the opposite party were baseless.