New Delhi: Amid the scientific survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi, All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said he had apprehensions on how things would pan out once the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) reports are made public. He said that he hopes the ASI findings don’t lead to another “23rd December or 6th December-like incident”. He was referring to the first time when the idol of Ram Lalla (child deity) was believed to have “appeared” inside the Babri Masjid in 1949, and demolition of the mosque in 1992.
Taking to Twitter, Owaisi wrote, “Once #Gyanvapi ASI reports are made public, who knows how things will pan out. One hopes that neither 23rd December nor 6th December will repeat. The observation of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya judgement regarding the sanctity of the Places of Worship Act must not be dishonoured. The hope is that the floodgates for a thousand Babris will not be opened.”
Owaisi’s remarks come a day after the Supreme Court refused to stay the Allahabad High Court order on the ASI survey, an exercise that the Muslim side said will “reopen wounds of the past”.
However, a bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra asked the ASI not to resort to any invasive act during the survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
Speaking to news agency ANI, Owaisi claimed that the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir has made little difference on the ground, as, citing a media report, he said 251 terrorist incidents were reported in the Valley between January 2021 and May this year.
Further referring to the deaths of three Indian Army jawans in an encounter with terrorists in South Kashmir’s Kulgam on Friday, the AIMIM MP questioned India hosting Pakistan for a World Cup match in Ahmedabad later this year.
“Three of our soldiers were killed by terrorists who came from Pakistan and you will play a World Cup match with them (Pakistan),” ANI quoted Owaisi as saying.