Varanasi: A petitioner in the Gyanvapi mosque case on behalf of Swayambhu Jyotirlinga Bhagwan Vishweshwar, Harihar Pandey received a life threat on his phone on April 8 soon after a local court pronounced the verdict directing the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to conduct an archaeological survey of the Gyanvapi compound to ascertain if a temple existed at the spot earlier.
Pandey informed that he received a phone call from an unknown number in the evening on the day of the verdict in favour of the petitioners. The caller threatened Pandey that he would be killed. Pandey called senior police officials and intimated them about the threat verbally following which ACP Awadhesh Pandey met him and collected all the details. The ACP said that the phone number is being traced and investigation is on.
The police officials have deputed two constables at Pandey’s residence for his security.
Harihar Pandey, Pandit Somnath Vyas and Ramrang Sharma had filed the first petition in the case on behalf of Swayambhu Jyotirlinga Bhagwan Vishweshwar in a civil court in 1991. Pandey is now the only surviving petitioner among the three.
Advocate Vijay Shankar Rastogi as the ‘next friend’ of Swayambhu Jyotirlinga Bhagwan Vishweshwar had filed an application in the court of civil judge in December 2019, requesting for the survey of the entire Gyanvapi compound by ASI.
After hearing the case, the court of civil judge (senior division) Fast Track, Ashutosh Tiwari gave verdict on April 8 and directed the Director General of ASI to conduct a comprehensive archaeological physical survey of the entire settlement plot of Gyanvapi compound.
The court directed the DG to constitute a five-member committee of eminent persons who are experts and well versed in the science of archaeology for this purpose.