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VHP now claims mosque near Qutub Minar

A Vishwa Hindu Parishad-backed outfit threatened on Thursday to launch a countrywide agitation if Hindus were not allowed to conduct regular puja in the premises of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque near the historic Qutub Minar in Delhi. The VHP claims the Qutub complex was built after razing 27 Jain and Hindu temples.

Claiming that the mosque was built in 1100 AD after destroying an ancient 'Vishnu Dhwaja Mandir', Mahant Naval Kishore Das, general secretary of the Delhi Sant Mahamandal and head of the city unit of the VHP's Margdarshak Mandal (guiding council), served an ultimatum on the Archaeological Survey of India to allow puja by the end of January or "face the consequences".

"While the ASI has allowed regular prayers in the mosque, it has not granted permission for the appointment of a Hindu priest to carry out daily worship of the idol of Lord Ganesh there," said Ramakrishna Gaur, Delhi VHP secretary and head of the newly floated Devsthan Raksha Samiti (Temple Protection Committee).

The VHP had made an abortive attempt on November 14 to perform a 'yagna' in the mosque premises. Police had detained some 80 activists.

Das said a delegation of religious leaders met ASI Director General Komal Anand and sought permission to conduct the puja.

"She has sought a month's time to study the issue. If puja is not allowed after that, we will perform a 'devmukti mahayagna' during Ganesh Chaturthi in February to liberate the temple."

After the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura and the Kashi Vishwanath temple-Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi, this is the fourth major shrine whose possession the VHP is seeking.

PTI

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