Mahant Rishi Raj Giri, one of the litigants from the Hindu side in the Shahi Jama Masjid-Harihar Mandir title dispute, announced on Sunday that his organisation, Harihar Sena, will conduct a 2.5-km circumambulation of the “disputed site” on November 19.
No official permission has been sought for the proposed one-day ‘Harihar Mandir Padyatra’, which is being organised on the first anniversary of the court-ordered survey conducted at the site on November 19 last year, according to Giri.
The Mughal-era mosque has been at the centre of a major row after a petition claimed that it was the site of an ancient Hindu temple. The matters related to the Shahi Jama Masjid–Harihar Mandir title dispute are being heard in the Supreme Court, the Allahabad High Court and the district court. Violence broke out during protests against the survey at the site on November 24 last year, leaving four people dead.
Officials said on Sunday that they have no information about the proposed padyatra by Giri.
Addressing a press conference, Mahant Rishi Raj Giri of Kela Devi temple, who is also the founder of the International Harihar Sena, said the event will start at 10 am and participants will travel by vehicle up to Motinagar.
They will then undertake a 2.5-km foot march around the outer boundary of the disputed complex before returning to Kela Devi temple.
“Our message is simple — Harihar Mandir was, is and will remain a temple. The matter is before the court and we fully respect the judicial process. We will only perform the circumambulation of the Harihar Mandir precincts,” he said.
Replying to a question about permission from the administration, Giri said that no formal discussion has yet taken place with the administration and called the event a “social, religious and spiritual activity”.
This story was originally published in muslimmirror.com. Read the full story here.
