Another Gyanvapi? Plea claims Badaun mosque built after razing temple

BAREILLY: A civil court in Uttar Pradesh’s Budaun district on Friday ordered the registration of a civil case while hearing a petition by Akhil Bhartiya Hindu Mahasabha (ABHB) which claimed that the Jama Masjid complex here was actually a fort of erstwhile Hindu king and the existing structure was built by demolishing an ancient temple of Neelkanth (Lord Shiva).
The court has also sought reply from the Intzamiya committee of Jama Masjid, UP Sunni Waqf Board, UP Archaeology Department, Union of India, UP government via Budaun district magistrate and state chief secretary. It fixed September 15 as the next date of hearing.
The petition was filed on August 8.
The Jama Masjid in Maulvi Tola area is one of the oldest and largest mosques of the country, having a capacity to accommodate over 23,000 devotees at a time.
ABHB district president Mukesh Singh Patel claimed, “We are aware that articles related to the ancient temple are lying in a room locked for a long time now. We had requested the court to register a case and carry out a survey to bring out the truth.”
Some claim that “the mosque was built by Shamsud-din Iltutmish in 1222 AD, and that it is mentioned in history books”.
Petitioner’s advocate Ved Prakash Gupta told TOI, “We have put across all details of the fort and the temple in our petition before civil judge (senior division) Vijay Kumar Gupta, who then ordered that a case be registered, and also issued notices to the respondents.”
“Shehar Qazi (town cleric) Ateef Miyan is out of the country, and he will comment on the recent developments once he returns,” said a member of Intzamiya committee of Jama Masjid.