Gyanvapi mosque survey Day 3 concludes; ASI team discovers remains of fragmented idols
Archeological Survey of India (ASI) at the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi. He stated that they have discovered remains of fragmented idols amidst the debris and expressed hope that more idols will be recovered during the course of the survey, PTI reported. He mentioned that the survey primarily targeted the wuzu khana (ablution area) and the prayer space for Muslims.
The survey, which lasted for the entire day, concluded at 5 pm, and the ASI team departed from the mosque complex. On Saturday, the scientific survey to ascertain whether the 17th-century masjid was built over a pre-existing Hindu temple structure resumed. The ASI team paused the survey around noon, permitting Muslims to pray in the mosque, and resumed it at 2:30 pm.
The Varanasi court has directed the ASI to submit the survey report by September 2. The government counsel had previously requested a four-week extension for the ASI to complete the survey and submit the report. On Friday, the Supreme Court declined to issue a stay on the Allahabad High Court's order regarding the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque, which the Muslim side believes will "reopen wounds of the past." Nevertheless, the apex court instructed the ASI team not to employ any invasive methods during the survey.
"The ASI team is conducting a survey in the central dome of the mosque complex, where they have begun imaging and mapping. The ASI team has entered the 'tehkhana' (basement), which is under the possession of Vyas family, but has not entered the other basement," another lawyer from Hindu side Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi told reporters. “We have apprehension that BJP-RSS will set a narrative once the ASI report comes and that other issues like Babri masjid will be brought to the
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