Religious body demands Places of Worship Act be scrapped

Varanasi-based Kashi Dharm Parishad also wants that ‘namaz’ be banned at Gyanvapi Mosque, saying Hindus should not be deprived of their right to vote

A Hindu religious body demanded on Friday that the Places of Worship Act, 1991, be scrapped as well as an immediate ban on offering ‘namaz’ (prayer) at the Gyanvapi Mosque, which is adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi. Last month, a ‘Shivling’ was allegedly discovered at the Gyanvapi mosque during a court-ordered videography survey.

The Kashi Dharm Parishad, a Varanasi-based religious outfit, held a meeting on Friday after which several resolutions were adopted. Saints and seers from different parts of the country attended the meeting; one of the resolutions included that the Hindus be allowed to worship the alleged 'Shivling' found at the Gyanvapi premises.

“Hindus should not be deprived of their right to worship the ‘Shivling’…Muslims should not be allowed entry into the Gyanvapi Mosque and namaz should be banned immediately,” Mahant Balak Das, a member of the Parishad, said after the meeting.

“Why are Muslims being allowed to offer prayers in Gyanvapi Mosque when we are not allowed to worship the ‘Shivling’,” the Mahant asked.

According to the Mahant, the Parishad would deliberate the other ancient temples which had allegedly been destroyed during the Muslim rule in the country. The Mahant also said that the Places of Worship Act 1991 was wrong and must be scrapped.

The Parishad's demands come within days of a Varanasi district court, which was hearing petitions about the Gyanvapi Mosque, set July 4 for further hearing on the matter.

In their arguments, the lawyers representing the mosque committee, said that the Hindu group’s petitions were not maintainable as they were barred by the Places of Worship Act, 1991.

A district court had earlier ordered parts of Gyanvapi Mosque be sealed after Hindu lawyers claimed that a 'Shivling' was found in a pond which was used for 'wuzu' (Islamic procedure for cleansing body parts before prayers) by the Muslims.

The lawyers representing the Muslims, however, refuted the claim and said the alleged 'Shivling' was in fact a 'fountain'.

A few days ago, the Supreme Court referred the matter back to the district court saying that a senior judge should hear the matter. It also allowed the Muslims to offer prayers inside the Gyanvapi mosque.

For the past several decades, Gyanvapi mosque has been “disputed property” between the Hindus and Muslims. However, since the apex court’s decision in the Ram Temple case was in favour of the Hindus, there has been renewed clamour by saffron outfits to “take back” the Kashi Vishwanath Temple premises.