Ram Temple chief priest urges Muslims to hand over Gyanvapi Mosque to Hindus post ASI survey report

Jan 28, 2024

Ayodhya (UP), Jan 28, (ANI): Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Chief Priest Acharya Satyendra Das on January 28 urged Muslims to hand over the Gyanvapi Mosque to Hindus post ASI survey report. He also claimed that Muslims cannot offer namaz in a mosque built on a Hindu structure according to Shariat. “According to Shariat, Muslims cannot offer namaz in a mosque built on a Hindu structure. When it has been proved that this mosque was built on a temple. They should hand over the Gyanvapi Mosque to the Hindus. This way brotherhood will be maintained... Hindus will make a temple and start worshipping their deity... I request the Muslim community to not get provoked by a few people... Our mutual relations will be saved and brotherhood will prevail,” said Acharya Satyendra Das. The ASI report on the Gyanvapi mosque complex revealed that a pre-existing structure appeared to have been destroyed in the 17th century, and “part of it was modified and reused,” adding that based on scientific studies, it can be said that there “existed a large Hindu temple before the construction of the existing structure.” The ASI also said the “western wall of the existing structure is the remaining part of a pre-existing Hindu temple”. The survey of the Gyanvapi mosque premises began after the Allahabad High Court rejected the petition filed by Muslim litigants seeking a stay on the Varanasi court’s order for a scientific survey by the ASI.