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1 arrested, 40 held for bid to chant Hanuman Chalisa near mosque
In Varanasi, a civil court deferred hearing on six petitions pertaining to the Gyanvapi mosque. And in Ayodhya, which marked the 30th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, there were no public demonstrations by Hindu or Muslim groups.
A member of a right-wing group was arrested and 40 others detained in Mathura on Tuesday for trying to recite the Hanuman Chalisa inside the Shahi Eidgah mosque that abuts the Krishna Janmabhoomi temple, officials said.
In Varanasi, a civil court deferred hearing on six petitions pertaining to the Gyanvapi mosque. And in Ayodhya, which marked the 30th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, there were no public demonstrations by Hindu or Muslim groups.
In recent months, Mathura and Varanasi have become sites of fresh efforts by right-wing groups to lay claim to centuries-old mosques that adjoin iconic temples. In Mathura, some petitioners want worshipping rights in the Shahi Eidgah mosque which they say was built after razing a portion of the Krishna Janmabhoomi Temple, the mythical birthplace of Lord Krishna. In Varanasi, Hindu petitioners want the right to pray inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex.
On Tuesday, efforts of members of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha (ABHM) were thwarted by elaborate security arrangements that were put in place after the group’s call to chant Hanuman Chalisa inside the mosque to mark December 6, the day Babri Masjid was demolished.
“No one was allowed to violate the security cordon at the mosque. Over 40 activists were detained from different locations in Mathura. One of the ABHM office-bearers was stopped near Bhooteshwar when he was found to be moving for jalabhishek (a ritual to offer Ganga water carried in decorated carriage kanwar),” said Mathura SP Martand Prakash Singh.
Rajyashree Chaudhary, national president of ABHM, said no member could reach the mosque on Tuesday. “We might not have succeeded in reaching the Shahi Eidgah Mosque for the second consecutive year, but would come back again next year, to succeed in our call,” Chaudhary said.
