Almost a year after the historic Supreme Court judgement in Ram Mandir case, a civil suit has been filed in a Mathura court seeking the ownership over entire 13.37 acres of Krishna Janmabhoomi land in Mathura and also sought the removal of Shahi Idgah Masjid.
According to the reports, the suit, which has been filed by petitioner Vinit Jain on behalf of Srikrishna Virajman, stated that “every inch of the land of Katra Keshav Dev is sacred for the devotees of Lord Shree Krishna and Hindu community”.
The petitioners have stated that the entire area is known as ‘Katra Keshav Dev’, a place where Lord Krishna was born in the karagar of King Kans and added that the place of birth currently lies beneath the existing structure.
Suit blames #Aurangazeb, the Mughal ruler, for demolishing the Krishna temple in Mathura:
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) September 26, 2020
“Aurangzeb ruled over the country he being staunch follower of Islam issued orders for demolition of temple standing at birth place of Lord Shree Krishna at Katra Keshav Dev in 1669-70” pic.twitter.com/WKen3RpX22
In the plea, the petitioner blames the Mughul invader Aurangazeb for demolishing the Krishna temple in Mathura. The plea reads, “Aurangzeb ruled over the country he being a staunch follower of Islam issued orders for demolition of the temple standing at the birthplace of Lord Shree Krishna at Katra Keshav Dev in 1669-70”
Speaking to Times of India, advocates Hari Shankar Jain and Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the petitioners said that this suit is being filed for removal of encroachment and superstructure illegally raised by Committee of Management of alleged Trust Masjid Idgah with the consent of Sunni Central Board of Waqf on land Khewat No. 255 at Katra Keshav Dev, city Mathura belonging to deity Shree Krishna Virajman.
Reclamation of Kashi and Mathura temples
Following the Supreme Court verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi case, there has been a growing demand among Hindus to reclaim Kashi and Mathura, along with Ayodhya. Reclaiming the sites of Kashi Vishwanath temple and Krishna Janmabhoomi temple at Mathura has now become a priority for various Hindu groups in the country.
The Shahi Idgah Mosque stands at the Krishna Janmabhoomi in the city of Mathura. The Islamic invader Aurangzeb had destroyed the ancient Keshavnath temple and built the Shahi Idgah Mosque on its plinth in 1669.
Similarly, the Gyanvapi Mosque was built by the Islamic invader Aurangzeb after destroying the Kashi Vishwanath temple. The remnants of the ancient Hindu temple can still be seen on the walls of the Gyanvapi Mosque.
Krishna Janmabhoomi Nirman Nyas setup, wants to reclaim mosque
Earlier in August, in an effort to liberate Mathura, Hindu sadhus had formed the ‘Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi Nirman Nyas’ on the lines of Ram Mandir trust. Nearly 80 saints from 14 states had come together to set up the new trust, which also includes the 11 saints from Vrindavan.
The Hindu Sadhus had said that a signature campaign will soon be launched to connect other saints and seers for the ‘liberation’ of the Krishna Janmabhoomi.
However, the major roadblock for the Hindus to reclaim its spiritual and cultural sites that have been lost due to Islamic conquest in the past comes in the form of Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which was passed by the then PV Narasimha Rao government. The controversial law prohibits conversion of places of worship – like churches, mosques and temples – into places of worship of a different religion.
