Additional SP Shirish Chandra seen in video saying fair is held in memory of Masud Ghazi, nephew of Mahmud Ghazni. Organisers say mela has been held at the same venue for 47 years.
At least 10 mosques were covered by large tarpaulin sheets to avoid Holi colours. Communal clashes had broken out in November after survey of Jama Masjid was conducted by ASI.
A total of Rs 10 crore will be spent on all the pilgrimage sites in Sambhal -- 19 wells and 68 shrines. This includes the well next to the mosque that is part of the Supreme Court hearing.
UP govt’s affidavit described Shahi Jama Masjid management’s plea as ‘misconceived’ and an ‘attempt to create private rights over a public well’ near disputed site in Sambhal.
It's unclear when Mohammad Usman, a former resident of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, was incarcerated. But being an anti-India jihadist no longer guarantees gentle treatment in Pakistani prisons.
The syndicate, say Sambhal cops, scouted for terminally ill people from poor backgrounds to convince them to purchase govt schemes or insurance policies that could cover treatment costs.
'No, you (State) cannot do that,' bench says when shown a poster put up by district administration declaring the site as being part of a Hindu temple and calling for a 'puja' there.
MK Gandhi sent Jawaharlal Nehru to Sambhal in 1924 to study an incident of communal violence. Nehru describes the Jama Masjid as a “fine temple” built by Prithvi Raj.
When RSS sarsanghchalak is calling a halt to rash of ‘masjids built over mandirs’ claims, it could stem from realisation that it’ll be impossible for BJP govt to maintain order if issue goes out of control.
Since the communal disturbances last month, Sambhal and its temple trouble have remained in the news. Still, the non-stop coverage of the Hanuman temple and the three idols is exceptional.
As Narendra Modi becomes India’s second-longest consecutively serving Prime Minister, we look at how he compares with Indira Gandhi across four key dimensions.
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