New Delhi: After claims by the petitioner and lawyers of Shivling being found in Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi during the court-monitored survey, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi Monday said the structure inside the mosque is not a Shivling but a fountain. He asserted that every Masjid has a fountain, and questioned why wasn't the claim made by the court's commissioner.
"It is a fountain, not 'Shivling'. Every masjid has this fountain. Why the claim was not raised by the commissioner of the Court? The order of sealing the spot is a violation of the 1991 Act," said AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on the petitioner's claim, reported news agency ANI.
As soon as the court-ordered videography survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex concluded on Monday, claims of a Shivling found inside the masjid was made by Hindu petitioner Sohan Lal Arya.
The Varanasi District Magistrate, Kaushal Raj Sharma has been ordered by the court to seal the area where the Shivling was found and prohibit people from going near the place.
According to the courts order, the DM, police commissioner and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant Varanasi will be responsible for the security of the area where a Shivling has been claimed to be found.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court will today hear plea challenging stay on the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex. A bench, headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, will hear the plea moved by Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee. The survey has, however, been completed after a Varanasi Civil Court ordered to continue the survey despite objections from the mosque authorities.