'No Temple Found Anywhere': SP Leader On Reopening Of Shiv-Hanuman Temple, Triggers Row
The statement comes after the Sambhal authorities discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple on December 13 during an anti-encroachment drive in the city.
Days after an 'ancient' temple was discovered in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party chief Shyam Lal Pal has triggered a controversy by saying that no temple was found in the district.
The statement comes after the Sambhal authorities discovered Shri Kartik Mahadev temple on December 13 during an anti-encroachment drive in the city. The temple housed an idol of Lord Hanuman and a Shivling and has remained locked since 1978.
"No temple has been found anywhere... Go and look in the excavations. No temple has been found... Except for the Ayodhya case, all religious places are as they were... We should live in brotherhood ... The BJP has snatched away people's peace," Pal said, according to India Today.
ALSO READ | UP CM Adityanath On Sambhal Violence: 'Atmosphere Deteriorated After Speeches During Friday Prayers'
The temple is situated just over a kilometre from the Shahi Jama Masjid where violence took place on November 24 during a protest over a court-ordered survey of the mosque. The Sambhal district administration has written to the Archaeological Survey of India for carbon dating of the temple and the well.
Hitting out at UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Pal said that neither Hindus nor Muslims are in danger, but added that the backwards community are in danger.
"Neither Hindus nor Muslims are in danger in India, but the people from the backward community are in danger in the country," Pal said while launching a sharp attack on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The remark of the SP leader comes a day after CM Yogi blamed the speeches given during Friday prayers for the deteriorating atmosphere in Sambhal.
CM Yogi Monday defended the recent survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, asserting that the exercise, conducted on court orders, was disrupted due to provocative speeches during Friday prayers.
Four people were killed in Sambhal last month during protests against the mosque survey, which stemmed from a petition alleging it was the site of the Harihar temple and seeking permission to worship there.
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