Exclude objects added to Bhojshala after 2003 from survey: Muslim body

Barricades around the disputed Bhojshala masjid at Dhar in Madhya Pradesh. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu

A Muslim organisation has approached the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) as it conducts a survey at the contentious Bhojshala/Kamal Maula Mosque complex in Dhar urging it to exclude any items added to the premises post-2003.

Following directives from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, the ASI team, accompanied by senior police and administrative officials, continued the survey on Sunday for the third consecutive day. The disputed complex is located in a tribal-dominated district.

Petitioners Ashish Goyal and Gopal Sharma were also at the Bhojshala complex.

Amid tight police security, president of the Kamal Maula Mosque Welfare Society, Abdul Samad, a key party in the legal battle, communicated his reservations to the ASI through an email on Saturday.

“Our objection is that the ASI should not include in the survey objects placed inside the Bhojshala after 2003. I have sent my objections through an email,” he said.

During the survey, Samad highlighted concerns about the division of ASI teams within the complex, advocating for consolidated efforts instead.

Scientific survey

“I am the sole representative of the mosque welfare society present during surveys. My contention is that the ASI teams should concentrate their efforts in a single location rather than spreading out,” he told reporters.

The survey began on Friday following an order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court. On March 11, the Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the ASI to carry out a “scientific survey” of the Bhojshala complex within six weeks. The complex is a medieval-era monument that Hindus believe is a temple to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) and the Muslim community calls Kamal Maula Mosque.

According to an ASI order issued on April 7, 2003, Hindus are allowed to worship inside the Bhojshala complex every Tuesday, while Muslims are allowed to offer namaz on Fridays.