ASI begins survey of Bhojshala premises in Madhya Pradesh Amid metal detectors and 60 cameras
The ASI team, comprising more than a dozen members, reached the complex in the morning accompanied by senior police and district administration officials. The team worked until noon, leaving before the afternoon namaz. The second phase of the survey will be conducted on Saturday. A team of the Archaeological Survey of India Friday began a survey of the Bhojshala temple/Kamal Maula mosque complex in Madhya Pradesh’s tribal-dominated Dhar district.
On March 11, the Madhya Pradesh High Court had ordered the ASI to conduct within six weeks a survey of the premises, observing that its nature and character needs to be “demystified and freed from the shackles of confusion”.
Dhar Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh said he would discuss with ASI officials and make adequate arrangements for faith-related activities.
Flanked by heavy police presence, ASI workers were allowed entry into the complex after being checked with a metal detector, while their mobile phones were confiscated. The entire area is being monitored with the help of 60 cameras, due to the sensitive nature of the operation, police said.
Gopal Sharma, the coordinator of the Bhoj Festival Committee, said that “on the first day of the survey today, the length and breadth of Bhojshala were measured”.
“Videography has been done at the places where marks are present, and all the marks have been secured. The areas where the survey is to be conducted in the future have been marked with machines. The next phase of work will be on Saturday,” he said.
For Hindus, the ASI-protected complex is a temple dedicated to the Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), while for Muslims, it is the site of the Kamal Maula mosque. As per an arrangement in 2003, Hindus perform puja at the complex on Tuesdays while Muslims offer namaz on Fridays.
Speaking to reporters later, Dhar town’s ‘Shahar Qazi’ Waqar Sadiq said that no authorized member of the Muslim community was present during the survey, though Kamal Moula mosque’s representative Abdul Samad was supposed to be there. He claimed the ASI had not given him notice.
“A petition was again filed in the high court in 1998 by Vimal Kumar Godha on behalf of the Bajrang Dal and other Hindu bodies. Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister then. A reply was filed that time that it was ‘Kamal Maula mosque’ and the existence of Bhojshala was a mystery,” he said.
Stressing that there is no dispute with the Hindus, he said, “Only 13-14 persons, who are the self-proclaimed leaders of the community, are creating problems. Now we think that we have to insist on starting namaz five times a day at the site. We will move the High Court and the Supreme Court on this,” he said.
Sadiq said they have documents to show that namaz can be offered at the site five times a day, but they have curbed it in the interest of “peace and harmony”.
(This story has not been edited by News Mania staff and is published from a Media Release)
