Security personnel guard outside the Gyanvapi mosque after its survey by a commission in Varanasi.
Gyanvapi case: Amid the ongoing row over the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi Mosque issue, the RSS on Wednesday said the facts should be allowed to come out, while asserting that truth can’t be hidden for long. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) publicity in-charge Sunil Ambekar touched upon the Gyanvapi issue while speaking at an annual event here organised by the organisation to honour journalists. “There are some facts which are coming out in the open. I believe we should let the facts come out in the open. In any case, truth always finds a way to come out. How long can you hide it? I believe the time has come to put the historical facts in the right perspective before the society,” Ambekar said.
Similar views were expressed by Union Minister Sanjeev Balyan who was also present at the event. Balyan said he became “emotional" when he learnt about a Shivling being found in the mosque complex. “I was in Varanasi when these events unfolded. I became emotional. But I became more overwhelmed when a journalist told me that Nandi (a sacred ox on which Lord Shiva rides) had been waiting for Shiva for centuries. My eyes welled up. That is why journalism is so important. It can make people emotional,” Balyan said.
Remarks by Ambekar assume importance as on November 9, 2019 when the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, responding to a question on the issue of the Gyanvapi mosque and the Shahi Idgah in Mathura, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had said, “The Sangh got associated with this (Ramjanambhoomi) movement as an organisation because of the historical reasons. It is an exception. Now we will again be associated with human development and this movement will not remain of concern to us.” On the same day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaking about the judgment had called it a “day to forget any bitterness one may have”.
On Monday, a Varanasi court had ordered the sealing of a pond in the Gyanvapi Masjid complex after lawyers representing the Hindu petitioners said a Shivling was found there during the court-mandated videography survey. However, a mosque management committee member disputed the claim, saying the object was part of the water fountain mechanism at the 'wazookhana' reservoir where devotees carry out ablutions before offering namaz. The mosque is located close to the iconic Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi and the court there is hearing a plea by a group of women seeking permission for daily prayers before the idols on its outer walls.
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