A local court in Varanasi on May 16 directed the district administration to seal a spot in the Gyanvapi Masjid complex after counsels representing the Hindu petitioners said a Shivling was found during a court-mandated videography survey.
However, a mosque management committee spokesperson disputed the claim, saying that the object was part of a “fountain”.
A day later, the Supreme Court directed the district magistrate of Varanasi to ensure the protection of an area inside the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex where a ‘Shivling’ was said to have been found and allowed Muslims to offer ‘namaz’ and perform “religious observances”.
Amid the ongoing row over Gyanvapi mosque, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said all the temples destroyed in the past should be rebuilt, while asserting that the BJP government in the state has made budgetary allocation for reinstating temples demolished during the Portuguese rule.
