Gyanvapi Mosque row: KVT trust chairman demands handover of Shivling to Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh) [India], May 18 (ANI): Kashi Vishwanath Temple (KVT) Trust Chairman Prof Nagendra Pandey on Wednesday demanded handing over of the Shivling claimed to be found in Gyanvapi Mosque to Kashi Vishwanath Temple for proper worship till the matter is in court.

"If idol of Baba Vishweshwar was found then how can it be a 'wazukhana', this cannot happen now. We demand that, until the ruling comes, Shivling be handed over to Kashi Vishwanath Nyas so that God can be duly worshipped," Prof Pandey told ANI.
Meanwhile, an application has been filed in Varanasi court to demolish the wall beside wazukhana where a Shivling is claimed to be found during the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque premises, said lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain, representing the Hindu side on Wednesday.
The three-day-long court-monitored videography survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi concluded on Monday.
The Hindu petitioner in the case, Sohan Lal Arya on Monday claimed that the committee found a Shivling at the complex. Arya, who accompanied the court commission for the mosque survey, said that they have found "conclusive evidence".
The Supreme Court heard the plea seeking a stay on the survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex in Varanasi on Tuesday and observed that till the next date of hearing Varanasi District Majistrate will ensure that the Shivling area will be protected but it will not impede access of Muslims to the mosque for prayers.
The President of the Hindu Sena, Vishnu Gupta on Tuesday filed an intervention application seeking directions for dismissal of the petition filed by Anjuman Intezamia Masjid Management Committee challenging the videography survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, which is adjacent to the famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.
After the conclusion of the survey, the Varanasi court ordered the District Magistrate of Varanasi, Kaushal Raj Sharma, "to seal the area where the Shivling was found and to bar people from going to the place."
In its order, the court said that the DM, police commissioner and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandant Varanasi will be responsible for the security of the sealed area.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board held an urgent meeting of its executive committee on Tuesday over the Gyanvapi Mosque and Tipu Sultan Masjid issue. (ANI)