'Hope neither Dec 23 nor Dec 6 repeats': Owaisi on Gyanvapi ASI survey being made public

The Parliamentarian referred to the installation of Hindu idols inside Babri Masjid and demolition of Babri Masjid, and hoped the sanctity of the Places of Worship Act is preserved to prevent the floodgates of a thousand 'Babris' from being opened.

Hyderabad:Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi has expressed his aversion towards the present survey at the Gyanvapi mosque while he also wished that it will not lead to "neither 23rd December nor 6th December," in an apparent references to the installation of Hindu idols inside Babri Masjid and demolition of Babri Masjid.

He also urged that the sanctity of the Places of Worship Act should not be dishonoured. The president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen took to X social media (formerly known as Twitter) where he expressed his thoughts about the survey and its implications.

He wrote: "Once the Gyanvapi ASI reports are made public, who knows how things will pan out. One hopes that neither 23rd December nor 6th December will repeat. The observation of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya judgement regarding the sanctity of the Places of Worship Act must not be dishonoured. The hope is that the floodgates for a thousand Babris will not be opened."

Babri Masjid was demolished on Dec. 6, 1992 and the Hindu idols were placed inside the mosque much before on Dec. 23, 1949.

The ASI survey which is underway at the mosque now is the direct impact of the district court's July 21 order. The court said there is a need to survey beneath the mosque's domes, the cellars and the western wall. The court directed the ASI to "examine the plinth and pillars to determine the age and nature of the building."

According to the court, the ASI should ensure that there is no damage to the structure of the mosque. The court instructed the Director of ASI to conduct a detailed scientific investigation by using GPR (Ground Penetrating Radar) survey, excavation, dating method and other modern techniques.

The survey of present structure will be used to determine whether the mosque has been constructed over a pre-existing structure of Hindu temple, the court order had said.

The July 21 orders were passed on a petition filed by a group of women seeking the right to regular worship of sculptures of Hindu deities on the mosque's outer wall. The mosque's 'wazukhana' reservoir will not be part of the survey, the court in its orders said citing an earlier Supreme Court order protecting the site. The reservoir was used by people to perform ritual ablutions before offering namaz. In the wazukhana, there exists is a structure claimed by Hindu litigants as 'shivling'.