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Yogi delivers on his promise, bans sale of liquor, cannabis within 10 km of Krishna Janmabhoomi temple, shops shut by the administration

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi delivers on his promise, bans sale of liquor, cannabis within 10 km of Krishna Janmabhoomi temple, shops shut by the administration

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has shut down as many as 37 shops selling alcohol and cannabis in areas surrounding Sri Krishna Janmasthan Mandir in Mathura. The government has also cancelled the licences of several liquor shop owners operating within a 10 km radius of the Krishna Mandir in Mathura.

According to reports, around three bars located in hotels and two model shops will also remain shut in Mathura from Wednesday.

It was in August 2021, during the Krishna Janmotsav celebration, just before the elections, Yogi Adityanath had promised that liquor, meat and cannabis would be banned around the temple. “The officers concerned are directed to make plans for the ban as well as for the engagement of people involved in such activities in some other trade,” he had said while addressing a Krishnotsava 2021 programme.

The action was taken after the excise department received a government order asking it to stop the sale of narcotics and liquor falling within 10 km radius of the temple. The government said that the order should come into immediate effect from June 1, 2022, Wednesday.

The officials said that the Yogi government has once again reiterated that a 10 square km area with the Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura at its centre is a religious pilgrimage site and therefore the sale of alcohol and meat here would be completely banned. Following the order, the official sprung into action on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, and shut the 37 shops selling liquor and cannabis within a radius of 10 km of the Sri Krishna Janmasthan Temple. 

Municipal Commissioner Anunay Jha confirmed the development, saying that the Excise Department has shut down businesses and bars selling wine, beer, and cannabis in 22 wards of the city.

According to District Excise Officer Prabhat Chand, the government issued an order two days ago to close the alcohol shops on June 1.  Chand added that after that, the selling of liquor was absolutely prohibited in the area.

The state government has reportedly advised that traders to instead sell milk to help resurrect the dairy business in Mathura, which is known for generating large amounts of dairy milk.

Similar action has been taken against similar shops in and around the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.

Last year in September, keeping the Krishna Janmabhoomi at the centre, the UP government declared that an area comprising 22 wards of the Mathura municipality will henceforth be identified as a holy pilgrimage site and will have a complete ban on the sale of meat and liquor. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made this announcement while speaking at the Krishnotsava 2021 programme.

While meat shops in the said area were shut down the next day by the administration, shops selling liquor, beer, and cannabis were not shut down for technical reasons. But now, after the order received from the Yogi government two days ago, the District Excise Department has shut down all 37 such shops falling under the purview of 22 wards of the municipal corporation.

‘No man should marry multiple women, daughters deserve equal property rights’: Assam CM says polygamy, instant talaq must be prohibited

OpIndia Staff
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‘No man should marry multiple women, daughters deserve equal property rights’: Assam CM says polygamy, instant talaq must be prohibited

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has declared that the Assam government is quite clear about prohibiting Muslim males from marrying multiple women. According to him, no Muslim male should marry more than one woman. “It takes one wife, one husband, and two children to live a happy life,” he said.

“We don’t want to complicate things. We are adamant that if you are a parent, you should give your daughter the same portion of the property as you do to your son. There is no ambiguity here,” Sarma remarked during an event.

Himanta Biswa Sarma also stated that the stand of the Assam Government is very clear. “Do not give Talaq. File a Divorce legally. Share half of the property with your spouse. Also, do not marry 3 people at a time. If you’re a Muslim father, give respect to your daughters at par with the men in the society,” Sarma said adding that the stand of the state government on the issue is very clear and the Muslims of Assam are in support of this too.

Sarma also advocated for the banning of the Popular Front of India and the Campus Front of India during his media exposure. He said, “We always see PFI’s hand in communal tensions. Even in the latest Batadrava incident, we are now picking up signals of involvement of PFI.”

Himanta Biswa Sarma also slammed the Congress, predicting that Congress will struggle to preserve its role as the main opposition party in the upcoming parliamentary elections. “They will come down to roughly 30-35 seats in 2024, as per my assessment,” he stated.

Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong visits ‘The Hindu’ office in Chennai: Here is how the Left-wing outlet has been furthering the Chinese Communist propaganda

OpIndia Staff
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Chinese Ambassador Sun Weidong visits ‘The Hindu’ office in Chennai: Here is how the Left-wing outlet has been furthering the Chinese Communist propaganda

On Wednesday, the Chinese Ambassador to India, Sun Weidong who is on a two-day visit to the state of Tamil Nadu paid a visit to the headquarters of the left-wing outlet The Hindu and held face-to-face talks with its Editor Suresh Nambath and other staff members.

“Visited the headquarters of The Hindu. Face-to-face communication leads to mutual understanding and trust. Welcome you all to explore and know more about a real, objective, and 3-dimensional China”, said Ambassador Sun Weidong posting a video of his visit to the media outlet.

Weidong in the video could be seen interacting and exchanging ideas with Editor Suresh Nambath other editors and reporters. He could also be seen praising the functioning of the entire media outlet. Weidong is on a state visit to promote friendly exchanges and practical cooperation between China and Tamil Nadu.

During his two-day visit to the state, the Ambassador also visited the State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu(SIPCOT) Industrial Park in Chennai and planted friendship trees with the executive team. “China and India, both major emerging economies, have great potential in trade and investment win-win cooperation and common development”, he said during the visit.

However, the Chinese Ambassador’s visit to the headquarters of the left-wing media outlet was not welcomed by the netizens. As The Hindu has been peddling pro-China content quite often, One of the users stated that Sun Weidong was visiting one of the Chinese Office’s branches and was interacting with its own employees. “CEO visiting the branch office to give a pep talk to employees. Nothing unusual”, he tweeted.

Meanwhile, another one recalled that ‘The Hindu’ had furthered the Chinese propaganda by publishing a full-page Chinese advertisement celebrating 100 years of the founding of the Communist Party of China in the year 2021.

Here are some more interesting responses to the said visit:

The Hindu furthering the Chinese propaganda in the past

It is important to note that the mutual understanding and trust between the left-wing outlet The Hindu and the Chinese government has been healthy and financially strong for the past many years. In the year 2021, while China faced global condemnation for its alleged Coronavirus experiments in the Wuhan Lab and subsequent misinformation propaganda regarding the origin and spread of the Pandemic, ‘The Hindu’ had chosen to further its commercial and ideological interests by promoting Communist China’s propaganda material.

On July 1, the Hindu had published a full-page advertorial paid for and planted by China on the occasion of the centenary anniversary of the Communist Party of China. The paid content appeared on the third page of the paper.

Paid content featured by The Hindu in July 2021

Also in the year 2020, a few months after the deadly clash between the Indian Army and Chinese troops at the Galwan valley led to the death of 20 brave Indian soldiers, ‘the Hindu’ had published a similar advertorial favoring China.

On October 1, 2020, The Hindu had run a full-page advertorial paid by China on the occasion of its national day. In a hurry to make money and further the Communist propaganda, the Hindu had published a Chinese advertorial in an open disregard for the sacrifice of Indian soldiers. Later, the Income Tax Department initiated a probe against the English daily about alleged financial transactions between the newspaper and China.

Paid content featured by The Hindu in October 2020.

Similarly, on April 2, 2020, The Hindu published another advertorial by China. The advertisement was placed to celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations between China and India, even as China continued to betray India on the promises made.

Day after Arvind Kejriwal ‘inspected’ water treatment plant, toxic foam floats on Yamuna river: How empty promises have been made since 2015

OpIndia Staff
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Day after Arvind Kejriwal ‘inspected’ water treatment plant, toxic foam floats on Yamuna river: How empty promises have been made since 2015

On June 2, toxic foam was seen floating on the Yamuna river in Delhi. As per news agency ANI, the foam was visible from ITO Delhi.

The visuals, which are now going viral on social media, appear a day after Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal announced he had visited Coronation Sewage Treatment Plant. In a tweet, he said, “We are committed to cleaning the Yamuna. Inspected coronation plant today. Country’s largest plant – 70 MGD. Fully automatic. It is a wonderful plant.”

In an earlier tweet, he had said that his government is “committed to the clear Yamuna by 2025”, and the work in this regard was going at war footing. Aam Aadmi Party leader Arvind Kejriwal has promised multiple times that his government would clean the Yamuna river and gave different deadlines. However, the situation did not change much since he became Chief Minister of Delhi.

Netizens react to announcement to clean Yamuna by Arvind Kejriwal

Several netizens reacted to the announcement made by Arvind Kejriwal that his government would clean the Yamuna by 2025. They shared his old promises where he had given different deadlines for the same.

BJP Delhi Spokesperson Sarika A Jain said, “You have promised to clean the Yamuna in 2014. Your promises have been going on since 2014, and now they have reached 2025, but they never get fulfilled. So keep making a fool out of the public as this is your job. Have some shame.”

Twitter user Manish Soni shared a video compilation of Kejriwal where he promised to provide tap water to every household by 2019. Notably, countless reports have been published about water scarcity and dirty water supply in Delhi, but the Delhi Jal Board has failed to rectify the problems faced by the public. He said, “We know Kejriwal speaks only truth. Here is an example.”

Another Twitter user Anil Kumar said, “70MGD was planned by the previous Gov, and it was delayed by you. The plant is small compared to the level of pollution in the Yamuna, and do you know Delhi people are drinking unhealthy treated sewage water diluted with raw water.”

Netizen Munish Dogra said, “It is an awesome stunt. For the last seven years, you have been trying to clean the Yamuna, and every year, you renew the promise. Everything is in front of the public.”

Arvind Kejriwal keep extending the deadline to clear the Yamuna river

Since the beginning of his political career, Arvind Kejriwal has promised to clean the Yamuna river. Since then, he has renewed the promise with new deadlines multiple times.

The series of issuing dates after dates for cleaning the Yamuna by the Delhi government has been going on since the year 2015. Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in 2015 had promised to clean the Yamuna river within five years (by 2020). In the same year, he said, “After five years, we will bring every resident of Delhi to the Yamuna so that they can feel proud of the clean river.”

In November 2019, he said his government has planned to clean the Yamuna in the next four to five years, and people would be able to take a dip in it. In December same year, he promised the people attending his rally that by the next elections (scheduled in 2025), he would take the whole village for a dip in the Yamuna.

In January 2020, he again promised to get it cleaned in five years. He had promised to take a dip in the Yamuna himself.

Interestingly, toxic foam keeps appearing in the Yamuna river despite the promises made by the Delhi government. In November 2021, a bizarre visual made it to social media after the Delhi government tried to control toxic foam in the river with a hedge made out of bamboo sticks. Delhi Jal Board employees were seen sprinkling water on toxic foam to “clean the river”.

Chhattisgarh: Muslim man fills urine in a plastic bag, throws it at Hindu women observing Vat Savitri Puja, protests at Jashpurnagar

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: Muslim man fills urine in a plastic bag, throws it at Hindu women observing Vat Savitri Puja, protests at Jashpurnagar

In Chhattisgarh’s Jashpurnagar, a Muslim man named Naseer attacked a group of Hindu women observing the rituals of the traditional Vat Savitri Puja on May 30, Monday. The Muslim man had reportedly filled a plastic bag with his urine and thrown it at the women gathered to observe rituals of the Vat Savitri Puja near the Rani Bagicha area near the city.

As per reports, a large number of Hindu women gathered on roads to protest against this despicable act of sexual harassment and hate crime. A bandh was observed in Jashpurnagar over the incident on Wednesday because despite complaints the local police had not arrested the accused Muslim man.

The group of women who were attacked with urine by Naseer had left the Puja and gone home after the incident on Monday. Later in the evening, they had reached the local police station to lodge a complaint against Naseer.

However, as no action was taken against the culprit, a large number of Hindu women came to the streets to protest. The police then arrested the accused Naseer and sent him to jail. Raigarh MP Gomati Rai had joined the protests and had submitted a letter to District Magistrate requesting swift action and steps to prevent such incidents of religious hate crime and harassment.

Speaking to OpIndia, the Jashpurnagar police have informed that the culprit has been arrested and sent to custody under charges as per IPC sections 295, 295A, 153A and 505(2). They have added that the protesting groups were peacefully handled and the law and order situation remains normal in the area.

Arrested accused Naseer, image: OpIndia

Local Hindu groups also took a bike rally in support of the protesting women. The women have stated that the act of throwing urine on the Vrat observants during the Puja ritual was a planned crime to disrupt the Puja and hurt the religious sentiments of the women.

BJP Chattisgarh secretary Prabal Pratap Judev has shared the complaint letter to the police submitted by the women, informing that the Muslim man had first come to the Puja spot and tried to urinate there before the women. The women have stated that the accused first said he wanted to “mix some Gangajal in the rituals”. After the women asked him to go away, he had come with a plastic bag filled with urine and thrown at the women, saying that this is because he doesn’t want to see Hindus doing Puja on the road. The complainants have stated that they were not blocking the road but were gathered near a tree some distance away from the road.

MP Gomatai Rai demands strict action, lambasts local Congress MLAs

BJP MP Gomati Rai joined to support the protesting women. She questioned the police laxity and condemned the silence of local Congress MLAs. Gomati Rai stated that if the religions of the victim and culprit were reversed, the Congress MLAs would have started widespread protests by now. She added that this is a heinous crime to sexually harass, and humiliate Hindu women while attacking their faith.

It is notable here that Vat Savitri is a Hindu festival where women observe a day-long fast and worship Savitri Devi and the Banyan tree, praying for a long life for their husbands. It is a community event and women usually gather near a Banyan tree to perform the rituals. They tie sacred threads to the tree and offer water together.

Hindus seek survey of ‘Teele Wali Masjid’ in Lucknow, District court orders litigants to approach lower court, where 2013 suit is being considered

OpIndia Staff
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Hindus seek survey of ‘Teele Wali Masjid’ in Lucknow, District court orders litigants to approach lower court, where 2013 suit is being considered

The applicants seeking the formation of a commission to assess Lucknow’s Teele Wali Masjid were told by the Lucknow District Court on Tuesday to return to the lower court where the Original Suit filed in 2013 is being considered.

The case was filed on the grounds that historic temples devoted to Shesh Nageshatileshwar and other deities on the disputed mosque complex site are being damaged in order to alter its religious character.

The lower court proceedings in the 2013 dispute were challenged in this revision petition filed in District Sessions Court. The Teele Wali Masjid is actually Laxman Tila, according to the petition, and it should be restored to Hindus.

According to advocate Harishankar Jain, who is also involved in the cases of the Gyanvapi complex and the Mathura mosque, the whole complex is the site of Sheshnagestha Tileshwar Mahadev, which was destroyed during Islamic tyrant Aurangzeb’s reign. During the hearing, the Hindu applicants also claimed that, while the Original Suit is still pending before the Lower Court, on May 28, Maulana S. Shah Fajalurrehman (party in opposition) made a statement that on his appeal, roads in Lucknow could be blocked.

According to the applicants, these actions are nothing more than an attempt to disrupt the city’s law and order situation and must be stopped in order to ensure tranquillity throughout the proceedings of the lawsuit. Taking both parties’ arguments into consideration, Additional District Judge Smt. Kalpana noted that because the original matter from 2013 is still pending in the lower court, the survey commission request should be filed there as well.

The court order.

In 2013, Lord Sheshnagesth Tileshwar Mahadev Virajman, Laxman Tila Sheshnag Teerth Bhoomi, and others filed a civil claim in a lower civil court, alleging that a Hindu sacred edifice was demolished to make place for a mosque during the era of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The Hindu petitioners claimed that a portion of the property where the mosque stood was theirs and should be given to them.

The Secretary Home Ministry through the Union of India, the Lucknow Circle of the Archaeological Survey of India, the State of Uttar Pradesh Principal Secretary Home, District Magistrate Lucknow, Director General of Police UP, Senior Superintendent of Police Lucknow, Superintendent of Police West Lucknow, Inspector Chowk, CEO of Sunni Central Board, Chief Executive Officer through the Waqf, and Maulana Fajalurrehman have been named as respondents in the case.

Coke Studio’s Pakistani singer Shae Gill, who sang ‘Pasoori’, gets hate for praying for ‘non-Muslim’ Sidhu Moosewala, ‘I am Christian’, she hits back

OpIndia Staff
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Coke Studio’s Pakistani singer Shae Gill, who sang ‘Pasoori’, gets hate for praying for ‘non-Muslim’ Sidhu Moosewala, ‘I am Christian’, she hits back

Singer of the famed Coke Studio song Pasoori, Pakistani singer Shae Gill has been making headlines these days. Recently, Shae Gill spoke about the hatred she has received after praying for ‘non-Muslim’ Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, who was murdered in Punjab.

Shae expressed her condolences on Instagram following the passing of Sidhu Moosewala. “Heartbroken. May his spirit rest in peace, and may his family and friends have the strength to bear this loss,” she wrote. Following her post, however, numerous social media users condemned her for praying for a non-Muslim.

She turned to Instagram to post screenshots of abusive remarks she has received in response to her condolences for Sidhu Moose Wala’s death. Someone messaged her that as a Muslim, she is not permitted to do dua for non-Muslims when they die.

The Instagram stories by Shae Gill. (Source: Jagran)

In a subsequent Instagram story, clarifying that she is not a Muslim, Shae wrote, “I’ve been getting a lot of such messages. Just wanted to inform everyone that I am not a Muslim. I am a Christian, belong to a Christian family and can make prayers for people from different religions.”

“If you send me messages like this, you are getting blocked,” she warned, adding that she sometimes checks her DMs to stay in touch with her followers. “I honestly wouldn’t have announced it like that,” she added, “but I just got sick of people believing they could police me by that standard,” she wrote.

Shae Gill is a Pakistani singer who rose to prominence after the release of her debut “Pasoori” in 2022. Pasoori is the latest episode of Coke Studio season 14, and it stars Shae Gill and Ali Sethi.

On Sunday, famous Punjabi artist and rapper Sidhu Moosewala was killed in an attack in Mansa, Punjab. The attack took place on Sunday, May 29, 2022, in the Mansa village of Jawaharke during the evening. Unidentified attackers opened fire on Moosewala and his two companions. He was carried to the hospital in critical condition, where he was pronounced dead.

Another mass shooting in the USA: Gunman enters Tulsa hospital and kills 4, later kills himself

OpIndia Staff
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Another mass shooting in the USA: Gunman enters Tulsa hospital and kills 4, later kills himself

On June 1 (local time), a gunman armed with a handgun and a rifle entered a medical building in Tulsa, Oklahoma and killed at least four people. Later, he fatally shot himself. The Police were informed about the active shooting incident on Wednesday at around 4:30 PM.

As per deputy police chief of Tulsa Eric Dalgleish, multiple shots were fired on the second floor of Natalie Building on the St. Francis Hospital campus. Notably, the incident happened on the day when Tulsa was observing the 101st anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre.

Within three minutes of the call, the Police reached the spot. The first respondents on the scene were able to hear the gunshots coming from the building. Within five minutes, first contact was made with the victims and the suspect, said Dalgleish. He added, “The scene is fairly limited to one section of that floor, on the second floor.”

When asked about the response time of the Police to such calls, he said, “I will say Tulsa revisits that topic regularly. I was very happy with what we know so far regarding the response of our officers.”

The said building has doctors’ offices, including an orthopaedic centre. The Police believe the shooter might be a patient or an employee. However, by the time this report was published, Police were still trying to determine the identity of the shooter. No details were made public about his motive behind the shooting. Reports suggest the shooter was aged between 35 and 40.

Gunman shot himself

After killing four people, the gunman reportedly shot himself. Several people were injured in the incident, but none of them received any life-threatening injury.

President briefed about the incident

Reports suggest President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting. He has offered support to the state and local officials in this regard.

Governor thanked Police Department

In a series of Tweets, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt thanked Tulsa Police Department for the quick response and called the incident a “senseless act of violence and hatred”. He said, “What happened today in Tulsa is a senseless act of violence and hatred. Sarah and I are praying for the families of those who lost their lives and for those who were injured.”

He added, “I am grateful for the quick and brave actions of the Tulsa Police Department and other first responders who did their best to contain a terrible situation. I have offered Mayor G.T. Bynum any state resources that may be needed, and I ask all Oklahomans to come together in support of the Saint Francis Health System community and to grieve with those whose lives have been forever changed.”

Gun violence incidents are on the rise in the United States

Gun violence incidents are on the rise in the United States. Gun Violence Archive, an independent group that tracks incidents of gun violence in the United States noted 48 incidents of gun violence on the single day of June 1 across states.

So far, there have been 18,100 deaths related to gun violence in the US. Source: Gun Violence Archive

Nearly a dozen incidents of mass shootings have happened in the USA since the brutal massacre of school children in Texas’ Robb Elementary School on May 25.

Sourav Ganguly’s much anticipated big announcement: He is launching a worldwide educational app

OpIndia Staff
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Sourav Ganguly’s much anticipated big announcement: He is launching a worldwide educational app

Hours after sharing a cryptic post on Twitter that triggered speculations about his imminent entry into politics, the former team India cricket captain and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly put paid to the rumours, clarifying that the much-anticipated big announcement he had hinted at in the evening was related to the launch of a worldwide educational app.

Speaking to reporters in the evening, he revealed that he is planning to launch an educational app and dispelled rumours pertaining to his resignation as BCCI president.

When a journalist asked ‘can we call it a googly by Maharaj, as Sourav Ganguly is fondly called, the BCCI president said he was shocked after hearing the speculations. “They pick up such small things and make them big. It was just a simple tweet, no resignation nothing,” he emphasised.

Sourav Ganguly triggers speculations over a cryptic tweet on the ‘new chapter’ of his life

BCCI President and former cricketer Sourav Ganguly on Wednesday took to Twitter to announce that he is starting a ‘new chapter’ in his life. He said that year 2022 marks 30 years of his life in cricket and thanked everyone for the support and love he has received.

“2022 marks the 30th year since the start of my journey with cricket in 1992. Since then, Cricket has given me a lot. Most importantly, it has given me the support of all of you. I want to thank every single person who has been a part of the journey, supported me, and helped me reach where I am today,” Ganguly wrote on Twitter. 

In a message, he said that he is planning to start something new and sought everyone’s support for the same.

The message triggered speculations on social media where many wondered if he is joining mainstream politics in India. Some media reports had even suggested he has resigned as the BCCI chief, but BCCI secretary Jay Shah denied the rumours.

Karnataka: VHP demands court-appointed survey of a mosque in Malali near Mangaluru after remains of Hindu temple appeared, court starts hearing the case

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: VHP demands court-appointed survey of a mosque in Malali near Mangaluru after remains of Hindu temple appeared, court starts hearing the case

A local court in Karnataka has begun hearing a petition filed by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad about the ‘discovery of a temple-like structure’ inside a mosque in Managaluru’s Malali on Tuesday 31st May 2022. Both Hindu and Muslim sides have submitted the documents to support their respective claims.

Assayed Abdullahil Madani Mosque administrative committee’s counsel appeared before the third additional civil court to oppose the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) petition on Tuesday. The mosque committee’s counsel primarily relied on the Places of Worship Act 1991. The VHP resubmitted a plea in which it has sought a court-appointed commission to examine the ‘temple-like structure’.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, a Dakshina Kannada district administration official said that the mosque management, in its submission, claimed that the land belongs to the Wakf Board and under the Places of Worship Act, 1991, the petition filed by the VHP was not maintainable.

On the other hand, Chidananda Kedalaya, the lawyer appearing for the Hindu organizations said on Wednesday that he will file a fresh petition in the court. On Tuesday, Kedalaya said, “They (Muslim side) have claimed that under the Places of Worship Act the suit is not maintainable, but we believe it is. It is an ancient monument and there is an exception for such buildings under the provisions of law. So, we will be filing a detailed objection tomorrow (Wednesday).” Accordingly, he has filed the petition.

The first petition filed by the Hindu side sought the verification of the religious character of the Malali mosque and permission to conduct a survey of the mosque by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). The second petition is now asking for a court-appointed commission that will conduct a study on the temple with the help of ASI. It is notable that a similar survey was done on the disputed structure and the so-called mosque in the Gyanvapi complex of Varanasi.

In the last month, a part of the mosque was demolished for the purpose of renovation and at that time a ‘temple-like-structure’ was noticed at the site. Since then, the controversy has erupted and the matter reached court. According to the local police, the renovation work was initiated by the mosque committee and when they demolished the front part of the mosque, a “kalasha” (spire), “tomara” (pillar), and poles resembling a temple were found there. Photographs of the same were circulated on social media.

A senior police officer, without disclosing his name, said, “Some earthmovers were deployed at the mosque to bring down its front portion as part of the renovation process. During the process, an alleged temple-like structure came to some people’s notice. JCB workers deployed at the mosque might have clicked photographs of the structure and shared them online.”

Dakshina Kannada deputy commissioner KV Rajendra on Friday had held a meeting of all concerned officials and stakeholders and sought a report on the issue. The meeting was attended by members of the gram panchayat, Wakf board, endowment, state archaeology, revenue, and senior police officials.

The VHP, on the other hand, performed Tambula Prashne rituals. This ritual is often performed to ascertain if any temple existed on the spot. Kerala-based astrologer GP Gopalakrishna Panicker was called to perform the rituals. The mosque committee has yet not given any reaction on this.

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