An Archaeological Survey of India team tasked with surveying the Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district “grossly violated” Supreme Court guidelines while doing so, alleged Waqar Sadiq, the area’s head cleric, to PTI.
On March 11, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had directed the agency to carry out the survey on a plea by a group called the Hindu Front for Justice, who have claimed that the mosque was constructed by “destroying” Hindu temples.
The High Court directed the surveyors to take care not to damage the structure. The court also said that no excavation could take place without prior permission from the district collector.
Sadiq told PTI that both these directives were violated during the 98-day-long survey, which concluded on Thursday.
The 11th-century complex, protected by the Archaeological Survey of India, is claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. While the Hindus believe that the Bhojshala is a temple dedicated to the deity Vagdevi, or Saraswati, the building is a mosque for the Muslim community.
Under an arrangement made by the Archaeological Survey of India on April 7, 2003, Hindus perform prayers on the premises on Tuesdays and Muslims offer namaz in the complex on Fridays.
On April 1, the Supreme Court had refused to stay the survey while hearing a plea filed by Muslim petitioners. However, the top court had said that no action should be taken on the outcome of the survey without first seeking its permission.
“Survey is one thing but do not try to dig up things,” a division bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Hrishikesh Roy had said.
Ashish Goyal, a petitioner in the case, claimed to ANI on Thursday that several Hindu artefacts had been unearthed during the survey, including a broken statue of a Hindu deity.
The Archaeological Survey of India’s local conservation assistant Prashant Patankar told PTI that he was not authorised to comment on the matter.
Abdul Samad, president of the Kamal Maula Mosque Welfare Society, told the news agency that seven structures, which are part of the larger reglious monument, had been protected by the Archaelogical Survey of India during excavation work.
Also read:
‘Madhya Pradesh’s Ayodhya’: How the British manufactured the myth of Bhojshala
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