By Team Clarion

NEW DELHI — Emboldened by the Supreme Court verdict allowing the construction of a Ram temple on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the Hindutva brigade has set its sights on several other Muslim places of worship. The list includes mosques in Uttar Pradesh such as the Gyanvapi Masjid in Varanasi, the Shahi Idgah Masjid in Mathura, the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal and the Shamsi Shahi Masjid in Budaun. It also includes the Kamal Maula Masjid in Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi’s historic Jama Masjid, the Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan and the Taj Mahal.

The latest addition to the list is the Darul Uloom seminary in Deoband, Saharanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.

The Uttar Pradesh unit of the Hindu Raksha Dal has again harped on its claims that a Shiva temple lies buried beneath the seminary and has demanded an official investigation.

The group’s state president, Lalit Sharma, along with his supporters, submitted a memorandum to the district administration on Tuesday, urging the authorities to complete an inquiry within a fixed timeframe.

Sharma said his organisation had submitted a similar memorandum earlier, but alleged that no investigation had been carried out. He claimed the group possesses “evidence” to support its assertion that a Shiva temple exists about 14 feet below the campus. However, he declined to make it public, stating that it would be presented in court.

He demanded a scientific survey by the Archaeological Department and said the organisation would seek a court-ordered inquiry if needed. Sharma also alleged that the property is linked to “enemy property” and sought a probe into that claim.

Warning of escalation, Sharma said that if the administration failed to act soon, Shiva devotees would march from Haridwar carrying Ganga water to perform jalabhishek at the site, which the organisation claims is a Shiva temple. “If the investigation had been completed a month ago, we would not have needed to come again,” he said, adding that “Shiv devotees are even prepared to face bullets.”

This story was originally published in clarionindia.net. Read the full story here.