Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh): Amid the claims and counterclaims made by both the Hindu and Muslim communities about Varanasi court-appointed commissioners' survey work conducted on the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri complex; ETV Bharat sought an opinion from some of the members belonging to the minority community in the region and they seem to be a worried lot. "We lost Babri Masjid and we don't want to lose Gyanvapi now," some of the Muslims from Varanasi said.
Pervez Kadari, a Muslim leader of Varanasi, said, "The BJP has created the Gyanvapi-Shringar Gauri bogey for their advantage. The party has raked up the matter forcefully. It's (BJP)'s fake agenda that was brought in the public domain as part of the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections."
How Ganga -Yamuna Tehjeeb for which Varanasi is known, will be affected by this Gyanvapi mosque survey work, to which he said, "The BJP has been trying to create a rift in the society. The saffron party has been attempting to make the atmosphere vicious. Everything was pre-planned. BJP's Keshav Prasad Maurya who is holding a constitutional post was seen telling people to celebrate the moment. The way Maurya was behaving proved that he was trying to instigate people. Muslims of Varanasi are pained by this new development."
Read: Gyanvapi mosque survey report not ready, Commission to seek more time from court
When asked about several Hindu religious symbols and remains to suggest that earlier it was a temple, to which another local Muslim resident (name not mentioned) of Shivala locality in Varanasi, said, "Remains of religious importance, found at the Mosque during the survey, come under movable asset category and on this basis, we cannot arrive at a conclusion. Several survey works will have to be conducted to come to a conclusion. We are being pressurized to agree to it."
"How many times Indian Muslims will be put to the litmus test. Babri Masjid was taken away from us and now we are being asked to hand over Gyanvapi. How long it will go like that. The country has been facing several other burning issues related to unemployment, inflation, and others. Nobody is taking care of such issues," he added.
When Shivlinga was found at the Vazu area of the Gyanvapi mosque, another Muslim resident of the same locality, said, "Everybody knows what it was. It's a fountain and such architectural design could be found at Shahi mosque all over the country."
However, these Muslims are not hopeful of the judicial process either, "We are worried about the judicial process too," they added.
