The management committee of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal has informed Allahabad High Court that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) didn’t inspect the areas on the mosque premises that needed whitewash and repair and mentioned only those spots in its report that were in good condition.
“They didn’t visit the areas of the mosque that need whitewash, painting and repair,” the committee told the high court on Tuesday while seeking permission to refurbish the structure.
While dealing with a petition filed by the mosque committee last week, the high court had directed the ASI to inspect the mosque site and submit a report on whether the shrine needed whitewashing. In its primary report, the ASI had informed the court that there was no such requirement as the walls of the shrine already had a thick coat of paint.
S.F.A. Naqvi, the counsel for the committee, on Tuesday submitted that the ASI skipped the spots that were in a state of disrepair and needed immediate attention.
“They (ASI) selectively surveyed the premises and their report was biased,”
he stated.
The ASI had told the court on Friday that the interiors of the mosque had “thick layers of enamel paint of sharp colours like golden, red, green and yellow concealing the original surface of the monument. According to the inspection, the modern enamel paint is still in good condition”.
Responding to the report, the high court had ordered the ASI to clean the mosque premises but refrained from passing an order for whitewashing the structure.
“The mosque committee has been painting the structure for the last 100 years, but the ASI has never objected to it before. They don’t want to let us do the repair and painting work now,” Naqvi alleged.
The high court has posted the matter to March 10.
The mosque found itself in the eye of a communal controversy when some Hindutva groups aligned with the ruling BJP moved a local court on November 19 last year claiming that it was built on the ruins of a Shiva temple destroyed by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. They had also claimed that the remains of the temple still existed on the mosque premises and that the structure should be handed over to the Hindus.
The court had appointed an advocate commissioner to survey the mosque and the exercise was conducted on the same day.
Large-scale violence erupted when the surveyors reached the site again on November 24 amid the chanting of “Jai Shri Ram” by some people. Four persons died in alleged police firing.
The Opposition parties accuse the BJP of using the Sambhal controversy as a political plank.
Speaking in the Assembly on Tuesday, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said: “We want back what belongs to us.”