Hours after a Shivling was reportedly discovered inside the disputed Gyanvapi structure, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi called upon Muslims to not lose the disputed structure at any cost.
“When I was 19-21, the Babri Masjid was snatched away from me. But we will never lose a Masjid again in front of the 19-20-year-olds. Do you take an oath that we will not lose any more mosque?” he asked a frenzied crowd.
Amidst chants of ‘Naara-e-Takbeer’ and ‘Allahu Akbar’, his supporters vowed to protect the disputed structure of the Gyanvapi mosque. “They must know that we will not lose any more of our mosques. We know all your tactics,” Owaisi remarked.
#ज्ञानवापी मस्जिद थी, और क़यामत तक रहेगी इंशा’अल्लाहpic.twitter.com/stNp8gneyl
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) May 16, 2022
“A Momin is someone who doesn’t get bitten by the same snake twice. We will not allow them to bite us again. It (Gyanvapi) was a masjid and it will remain so till Qayamat (the Day of Judgment),” he continued to rage.
Asaduddin Owaisi added, “It is our responsibility to keep our mosques free.” He further called upon Muslims to visit mosques frequently all throughout the year and not just during the month of Ramzan.
While dubbing the whole exercise of videography of Gyanvapi as the work of shaitan, the AIMIM leader remarked, “If we keep our mosques filled with worshippers, then, these Satanic forces who want to deprive us of our culture will understand that Indian Muslims are now not ready to lose their mosques.”
This is a textbook repeat of December 1949 in Babri Masjid. This order itself changes the religious nature of the masjid. This is a violation of 1991 Act. This was my apprehension and it has come true. Gyanvapi Masjid was & will remain a masjid till judgement day inshallah https://t.co/8r4051ktkw
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) May 16, 2022
In a tweet, the AIMIM leader claimed, “This is a textbook repeat of December 1949 in Babri Masjid. This order itself changes the religious nature of the masjid. This is a violation of 1991 Act. This was my apprehension and it has come true. Gyanvapi Masjid was & will remain a masjid till judgement day inshallah.”
Gyanvapi mosque dispute and survey
The Gyanvapi Mosque complex is a disputed structure built over the ruins of the desecrated old Kashi Vishwanath Temple by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb after it was desecrated multiple times by Islamic monarchs such as Aurangzeb.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple complex, which is adjacent to the disputed mosque complex and where devotees can do puja and prayers, was built by Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in 1780. A Varanasi court on May 12 allowed a videographic survey of the disputed structure.
Varanasi’s Civil Judge (Senior Division) Ravi Kumar Diwakar issued guidelines for the same and added that a report of the survey must be submitted by May 17. A 54-member team, led by advocate commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra, surveyed the Gyanvapi complex basement and the western wall on Saturday (May 14).
According to the reports, the survey team opened eight vaults of the disputed structure of the Gyanvapi mosque. On Monday (May 16), counsel Hari Shankar Jain representing the Hindu side informed the court that a Shivling was discovered inside the premises during the survey.
The court further ordered that the District Magistrate and the Police Commissioner should contribute to securing the place. Madan Mohan Yadav, another lawyer representing the Hindu side, said the Shivling is 12 feet by 8 inches in diameter and is in the direction where Nandi is facing, as is customary.
