A Hindu temple has reopened in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal town after 46 years, claimed temple patron on Saturday. The temple was found and reopened during an anti-encroachment drive carried out by the administration and the police.
Additional Superintendent of Police Shrish Chandra said the temple was encroached on by some people by constructing houses. The police official also claimed there are idols of Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman in the temple.
Chandra also said there were some Hindu families who used to reside in the area but left due to some reason.
"There are idols of Lord Shiva and Lord Hanuman in the temple...Hindu families used to live in this area and due to some reasons, they left the area...There is information about an ancient well also near the temple...," he added.
"We had received information that a temple in the area was being encroached upon. When we inspected the spot, we found a temple there," said Sambhal Circle Officer Anuj Kumar Chaudhary.
The development comes days after tension broke out in the district over a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid mosque in the area.
Violence erupted in Sambhal on November 24, killing four people, when a team of surveyors reached the premises for a second time to conduct a court-ordered survey of the mosque. The survey was ordered on a plea filed by advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain claiming the mosque was built on a temple site.