Connect with us
Thursday,11-June-2026
Breaking News

Politics

Gyanvapi dispute: Petitioner says plea based on ‘British map’

Published

on

Jitendra Singh Vishen, head of the Vishwa Vaidik Sanatan Sangh (VVSS), which is among the petitioners in the Kashi Vishwanath-Gyanvapi complex case, has said their petition is based on a “British-era map”, which also formed the basis of a court case filed in 1936 by three Muslims who had demanded that the land be handed over to the community.

Visen told reporters, “If you inspect the premises today, you can find that 90 per cent of the structures are according to the map. Moreover, in the ‘shastras’, Lord Ganesha is on the northern side of the Adi Vishweshwar Temple, while Shringar Gauri is on the western side and the southern side has Kartikeya. Many parts in the books may be correct but some questions may remain,” he added.

Advocate Anupam Dwivedi, one of the lawyers representing the petitioners, however, said the purpose of the court-ordered survey was to find out the exact location of the deities and admitted that only an examination could determine the correct location.

Earlier, Acharya Ashok Dwivedi, who was chairman of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust between 2013 and 2019, had claimed that two books about the history of Varanasi say the idols are located elsewhere.

The two books, he said, were ‘Varanasi Vaibhav’, written by scholar Kubernath Sukul, and ‘Kashi Gaurav’ by Shivananda Saraswati, a disciple of ‘Dharm Samrat’ Karpatri, a renowned spiritual leader.

“In the book by Sukul, on page 221, the presence of Maa Shringar Gauri has been mentioned (as located) on the ishan side (north-eastern) of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and inside the Annapurna Temple (within the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor). In another book by Shivananda Sarasvati, the presence of the deity has been mentioned as plot 3/58 in Mohalla Bansphatak (at a distance of over 100 metres from the Kashi Vishwanath Temple),” Dwivedi stated.

He alleged that, “People are trying to gain cheap publicity by filing such petitions.”

He further said, adding that a commission should be set up to locate the Maa Shringar Gauri idol.

Maa Shringar Gauri is believed to be a manifestation of Hindu God Shiva’s wife Parvati. A carving of the deity, according to the petitioners’ plea, is located along a platform to the back of the Gyanvapi Mosque, outside the barricading that surrounds it. The public is not allowed to offer prayers here except twice a year during Navratri.

It is the location of this ‘sthal’ that is being contested by Dwivedi, who claims that worship at the site mentioned in the petition began only after campaigns by Hindutva organisations.

“We and our families have been staying here for the past 800 years but have never heard that there was a Shringar Gauri Sthal at the place where it is being talked about. We only got to know about it when outfits like Shiv Sena and VHP started to offer water to the carvings there in 2004-2005,” Dwivedi said.

He also claimed that the Gyanvapi Mosque was previously known as ‘Alamgiri Masjid’, adding that this was acknowledged by historian James Princep in his book ‘Benares Illustrated’ (1833).

Maharashtra

Mumbai : Major operation by Food and Drug Administration in Mulund, unlabeled food items seized, stock seized, businesses closed

Published

on

Mumbai: The Mumbai Food and Drug Department has claimed to have seized unsanitary food items in a crackdown on unhygienic food items on the orders of FDA Commissioner Takaram Munde and under the guidance of Joint Commissioner (Food) Mahesh Chaudhary and Assistant Commissioner Chhatarpal Singh Devi. A special team of Safety Officer Rishikesh Rajesh Darshanwad and Meghna Pawar has launched a drive to take action against illegal and non-compliant food traders in Mumbai. Under this drive, the team conducted a physical inspection of the plantation of “Gupta Chana Bhinder” (Gala No. TG 137, 1/1 Dumping Road, Gautam Nagar, Milind West, Milind Central, Greater Mumbai) in Mulund. During the inspection, extremely poor and unsanitary conditions were found in the factory and the godown. In addition, there was no legal label on the packets of various food items manufactured and kept for sale in the factory, such as the manufacturer, date of manufacture or expiry date (without label). Taking immediate notice of these serious matters that are playing with the health of the public, the food safety officers have legally seized a total of 114.2 kg of food items from the factory, with an estimated value of Rs. 20 crore. The seized items included pani puri, sukhi puri, green peas and other items. Seizure of food items and testing of samples: All the above unlabeled and suspiciously colored stocks have been legally seized and the samples of the food items have been sent for further laboratory analysis. Further action will be taken under the law after receiving the analysis report. Notice to Close Business In view of the possibility of pest infestation in the farm and the fear of large-scale violation of laws, an order has been issued to immediately close the business of the said farm until the deficiencies identified by the administration are completely eliminated and the premises are completely disinfected and cleaned. Therefore, the FDA has taken action against the foodstuff.

Continue Reading

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Encroachments on Andheri Service Road cleared after BMC’s action against illegal hotels on open land

Published

on

Mumbai: The BMC has launched a drive against illegal encroachment of hotels on open land in Mumbai and has removed the encroachments of several hotels, including the extensions of What’s Your Excuse, True 9, Juliet and Yazoo hotels. Additional Municipal Commissioner (City) Dr. Ashwini Joshi has directed to take strict action against hotels illegally encroaching on the open land required for service areas. As per this directive, the operation has been started across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. Under this, the West Division Office has removed the extensions of famous hotels in the Veera Desai Marg and Office New Link Road areas of Andheri West. Apart from this, the used materials have also been seized. The operation was carried out on Tuesday (June 9, 2026) by a team led by Deputy Commissioner (Zone 4) Bhagya Shri Kapse. Assistant Commissioner (West Zone) Chakrapani was accompanied by the Health Department (MOH), License Department (License), Fire Department (Fire) and Building and Factories Department (B&F). The operation was carried out by a joint team of the Health Department (MOH), License Department (License), Fire Department (Fire) and Building and Factories Department (B&F). The operation involved hotels What’s Your Excuse, True 9, Juliet and Yazoo in the Vera Desai Road and Office New Link Road areas of Andheri (West). During this operation, 24 chairs, 1 cooking range, microwave oven, 3 coolers, 1 electric fryer and 2 speakers were seized by the Health and License Department. A total of 20 manpower including officers, employees, labourers and fire brigade personnel of the department were deployed during this operation. Apart from this, JCB machinery was used. Assistant Commissioner (K-West Division) Chakrapani Ale said that these hoteliers have illegally encroached on the mandatory vacant land and expanded their service area. The unauthorized additional constructions of these hotels have been removed and the related equipment has also been seized. Chakrapani Ale has clarified that strict action will continue against unauthorized constructions in the future as well.

Continue Reading

National News

BJP Minority Morcha offers ceremonial chadar at Ajmer Sharif Dargah to celebrate PM Modi’s historic tenure

Published

on

Ajmer, June 10: Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Minority Morcha on Wednesday offered a ceremonial chadar at the Dargah of Khwaja Moin-ud-din Chishty in Rajasthan’s Ajmer to celebrate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s record as India’s longest serving head of an elected government.

Speaking to media, BJP Minority Morcha’s Rajasthan President Hameed khan Mewati said: “We prayed for the long age of PM Modi and for peace and brotherhood to prevail in the country.”

He added that BJP Minority Morcha workers have presented ceremonial ‘chadars’ at Dargahs in all districts of the state.

“PM Modi has worked for the development of the minorities, by launching several welfare schemes. The minority section of the society has seen immense development from where it was in 2014,” he said.

“We want the country to achieve PM Modi’s dream of ‘Viksit Bharat’. The kind of work done by the government for the minority section, under the Prime Minister’s leadership, is historic,” Mewati added.

He asserted that PM Modi understands the pain of the poor and hence works accordingly to provide the facilities required by them.

“He (PM Modi) has launched schemes without differentiating between the Hindus and Muslims. His goal is to ensure that all citizens are able to benefit from the government’s initiatives,” he said.

Abid Ali Chaudhary, National Co-In Charge of ‘Sufi Samvad Maha Abhiyan’, said that prayers were organised in all Dargahs and madrassas across the country for PM Modi’s long life and to mark the successful tenure of his government.

Echoing similar view, Mumbai BJP Minority Morcha President Wasim Khan said: “These 12 years are not merely a count of days; they represent a long and highly impactful tenure. During these 12 years, he worked tirelessly for all communities, all regions, and every section of society, contributing significantly to their welfare, development, and progress.”

He added that PM Modi has united the entire country as one.

“Following the guiding principle of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas,’ Prime Minister Modi has led this nation toward development. It is our wish that he continues to be the Prime Minister of this country,” Wasim Khan said.

The Mumbai BJP Minority Morcha President offered prayers at Mahim Dargah to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tenure of India’s longest-serving Prime Minister.

Maulana Shahabuddin Razvi Bareilvi, All India Muslim Jamaat President, also said that PM Modi has maintained his promise of ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas’.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Advertisement

Trending