Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) [India], May 19 (ANI): Marking the first Tuesday of regular prayers at the historic Bhojshala complex following the landmark judgment of the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, a grand commemorative event has been organised to honor the individuals who lost their lives during the decades-long movement to reclaim the site as a temple.
Speaking to ANI, Gopal Sharma, the convenor of the Bhojshala Mukti Yajna, announced that the day would be dedicated to remembering the struggle and paying a deeply moving tribute to the “martyrs” of the movement. Arrangements have been made outside the protected monument to display their photographs for public homage.
“Today, we pay tribute to all those who have sacrificed their lives for the sake of this Bhojshala. We offer our tributes to all of them; their portraits will be displayed outside, where floral tributes will be offered”, Sharma said.
According to the newly implemented ASI guidelines mandated by the High Court, the historic structure will now remain open for Hindu devotees throughout the year from sunrise to sunset. This marks a significant shift from the previous arrangement established in 2003, under which Hindus were permitted to perform puja only on Tuesdays within a limited timeframe, while Muslims were allowed to offer Namaz on Fridays. With the new system in place, regular daily prayers have now commenced at the site.
As today marks the first Tuesday under the new rules, a massive influx of devotees was witnessed at the complex starting from 7:00 AM.
As part of the weekly ‘Tuesday Satyagraha’–a symbolic protest held by the ‘Bhoj Utsav Samiti’ for decades–a special religious program was organised today. Devotees gathered from 8:45 AM to 9:15 AM to perform ‘Saraswati Vandana’ and recite the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’. Locals and visitors present at the venue termed the new arrangement a culmination of years of struggle and a “victory of faith.”
Earlier, the Indore Bench of the High Court held that the religious character of the disputed monument was that of Bhojshala, a temple of Goddess Saraswati.”The religious character of the disputed area is held to be Bhojshala with a temple of Goddess Saraswati,” the Court said.
The High Court further quashed the 2003 ASI arrangement “to the extent restricting the right of Hindus to worship within the Bhojshala complex and also the order permitting prayer by the Muslim community.”
The Court directed that the Union Government and the ASI would take decisions regarding administration and management of the Bhojshala temple, while clarifying that the ASI would continue to exercise overall control and supervision over preservation, conservation and regulation of religious practices at the protected monument under the ASI Act, 1958.
However, following the MP High Court judgement, two caveat pleas have been moved in the Supreme Court hours, anticipating that parties from the Muslim side may challenge the verdict before the apex court.
First, a caveat plea was filed by Hindu-side litigant Jitendra Singh Vishen, who is also a petitioner before the High Court in the Bhojshala dispute, seeking that he be heard before the Supreme Court passes any order on any challenge to the High Court judgment.
Subsequently, another caveat petition was filed by the main Hindu-side petitioner in the matter through Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, similarly requesting that no order be passed without hearing the caveators in the event the verdict is challenged.
The disputed site in Dhar has long been claimed by Hindus as a temple and by Muslims as a mosque. Pending adjudication, the State authorities had put in place a shared arrangement for religious practices while the site remained under the supervision of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), which had also surveyed the complex. (ANI)