Finding of Shivling at Gyanvapi mosque is self-evident of temple's presence, says VHP chief

New Delhi [India], May 16 : Vishva Hindu Parishad working president Alok Kumar on Monday said the Shivling found during the survey at Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi is self-evident that there is a temple.
Speaking to ANI, Kumar said, "Shivling has been found in one of the rooms during the survey in Gyanvapi temple and it is news of great joy. The Shivling was found in the presence of both the parties and their lawyers. Therefore the place having Shivling is a temple. This fact is self-evident that the temple is still there and the bona fide religious character of the basic structure and the place was very much that of a temple in 1947 as well"!

The VHP working president expressed the hope that all the people of the country would accept and respect this well-substantiated evidence found during the survey in Gyanvapi.
"After the unearthing of the Shivling, the country would move in the direction of its natural outcome. The court sealed that area of Gyanvapi. It is the responsibility of the police administration to ensure that there is no tampering there," he said.

Alok Kumar said that since the matter was still in the court of law, it would not be appropriate to make further comments.
"After the verdict of the court comes, Vishva Hindu Parishad would consider it further and only then it would be decided what next step would be taken. We had said that we would wait for the verdict of the court of law till the construction of Shri Ram Janmbhoomi temple. Now under the changed circumstances, we will place this matter before the revered Sant Fraternity in the meeting of our Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal scheduled in Haridwar on June 11-12," he added.
As the third day of the court-ordered videography survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi concluded on Monday, the Hindu petitioner in the case, Sohan Lal Arya claimed that the committee found a Shivling at the complex.
Arya, who accompanied the court commission for the mosque survey, said that they have found "conclusive evidence".
This comes a day ahead of the Supreme Court's hearing on a plea seeking a stay on the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex. A bench, headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, will hear the plea of the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee tomorrow, May 17. The three days long survey, however, has been completed. The survey was conducted in accordance with the Varanasi Civil Court's order to continue the survey despite objections from the mosque authorities.
After the conclusion of the survey, the Varanasi court ordered the District Magistrate of Varanasi, Kaushal Raj Sharma, "to seal the area where the Shivling was found and to bar people from going to the place."
In its order, the court said that the DM, police commissioner and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant Varanasi will be responsible for the security of the sealed area.
The civil court had appointed a court commissioner to conduct the survey and videography of the site and the same was challenged before Allahabad High Court, which dismissed the appeal on April 21. The April 21 order of the High Court was challenged in the apex court.
Five women had filed a petition in the court seeking permission for daily worship at the Shringar Gauri temple, which is claimed to be situated inside the Gyanvapi Mosque premises.
The order of the civil court for undertaking survey and videography at the premises was subsequently given by the court.
Another petition, which was filed by one Vijay Shankar Rastogi, had contended that the entire premises belonged to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and that the Gyanvapi Mosque is only a part of the temple complex, is also pending in the court since 1991.
Rastogi had also claimed that the Kashi Vishwanath Temple had been built over two thousand years ago and the temple was demolished by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
Advocate Vishal Singh, the Court-appointed special assistant commissioner, in Varanasi, said that the survey was conducted in an unhindered manner.