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Court-ordered Gyanvapi survey resumes, half of inspection done
On May 12, the Varanasi civil court directed a day-to-day survey of the mosque to inspect, film and collect evidence regarding the claimed existence of Hindu deities inside the mosque
A court-mandated survey and filming at Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, located next to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, resumed on Saturday amid tight security and restrictions near the complex.
On May 12, the Varanasi civil court directed a day-to-day survey of the mosque to inspect, film and collect evidence regarding the claimed existence of Hindu deities inside the mosque. A part of this survey took place on May 6, but was halted after a dispute broke out over filming inside the mosque. The civil court, however, permitted videography.
“According to the order of the court, the proceedings were done from 8 am to 12 noon in which all the parties, their advocates and their assistants were present... The survey, which lasted for four hours, covered more than 50% of (mosque) premises. It was completed in a very peaceful manner. All parties complied with the order of the court. To complete the remaining work, the survey will resume at around 8 am on Sunday,” the district magistrate of Varanasi Kaushal Raj Sharma said.
“The survey work is confidential and is done under the monitoring of the court. So, information regarding the places where the survey was done and what was found cannot be shared now,” he added.
Advocate commissioner Ajai Kumar Mishra, special advocate commissioner Vishal Singh, assistant advocate commissioner Ajai Pratap Singh, in presence of advocates of the petitioners and advocates of the Anjuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (that manages the Gyanvapi mosque) conducted the survey. An official representing the Uttar Pradesh government and officials of Kashi Vishwanath Mandir Trust were present at the site during the survey.
A cameraman accompanied the team for videography.
According to a person familiar with matter, the survey was conducted in basement area of the Gyanvapi.
One of the advocates of the petitioners, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that a detailed report of the survey would be presented before the court on May 17.
Varanasi police commissioner A Satish Ganesh thanked the local residents for cooperating with the proceedings. “The proceedings of the commission went smoothly in a peaceful atmosphere. The peace and order of the city remained intact. Thanks to all the residents of Kashi for their cooperation on this occasion,” Ganesh said.
More than 1,500 policemen and PAC jawans were deployed as part of the security arrangement, news agency PTI reported. The movement of people was stopped at a distance of 500 metres from the Gyanvapi complex.
Security personnel were deployed on the rooftops of the buildings in the vicinity of the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi Complex. Police personnel were also deployed in large numbers from Maidagin to Godaulia.
SM Yasin, joint secretary of Anzuman intezamia Masajid Committee that manages Gyanvapi mosque, said, “The commission conducted the proceedings of survey in a very strict manner. We cooperated with the survey. We are satisfied with the manner proceedings of the commission was conducted.”
On a suit filed jointly by five Hindu women, the Varanasi court last month ordered an inspection of the premises through an advocate commissioner, Ajai Kumar Mishra. The civil court order was affirmed by the Allahabad high court on April 21.
