Bhojshala: Savitri Thakur offers prayers, welcomes HC's temple verdict

Union Minister Savitri Thakur visited the Bhojshala Temple, hailing the MP High Court's verdict declaring it a temple. She congratulated the public, as officials in Dhar implement the court order for worship under ASI directives.

Union Minister Savitri Thakur on Sunday visited the Bhojshala Temple in Dhar for prayer rituals after the Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex a temple and granted the Hindu side the right to worship at the site.

Speaking to ANI on the court's directive, Thakur said she has been regularly visiting the site for darshan and welcomed the verdict. "I have been coming here for darshan (worship) right from the very beginning. Now that the court has issued a directive stating that this site will remain open to the Hindu community permanently--allowing them to offer prayers and seek darshan here--I congratulate the public, as the court has delivered a verdict in their favour," she said.

Official Arrangements Underway

On the worship arrangements front, Dhar Collector Rajiv Ranjan Meena told ANI that the arrangements at the site were being carried out in accordance with the court order and directions issued by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI). "The court order entrusted the ASI with the responsibility of issuing directives regarding this site... Today, in accordance with those directives, worship is being conducted here... Further arrangements will be made here in compliance with the ASI's instructions..." he said.

Police Ensure Law and Order

Dhar Superintendent of Police Sachin Sharma also said that a coordination meeting was held to ensure smooth implementation of the court's directives and that police deployment remained in place to maintain law and order. "Following the High Court's verdict regarding the Dhar district--and in compliance with the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Culture concerning specific rituals and timings for worship--a coordination meeting was held yesterday. The worship rituals taking place today are being conducted in strict adherence to the decisions reached during the meeting; we, too, participated in today's proceedings," Dhar told ANI.

He further said that security arrangements had been strengthened and would continue in the coming days to ensure peace and harmony in the region. "From a security perspective, the deployment of personnel--which has been ongoing continuously for the past four or five days--remains fully effective... We have maintained a constant presence in these areas to ensure that peace, harmony, and brotherhood prevail. We are continuously disseminating awareness about the High Court's verdict... We commend all individuals who are adhering to the regulations; conversely, against anyone contemplating a violation of these rules, we will take the strictest possible action..." he said.

Sharma added that police teams would continue outreach efforts to ensure compliance with the court's directions. "We will reach out personally--visiting every neighbourhood--and engage in discussions to ensure that all future actions are executed in strict compliance with, and in furtherance of, the directives that have been issued..." he added.

Background of the Court Verdict

Earlier on Friday, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ruled that the religious character of the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex was that of Bhojshala, a temple dedicated to Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati), dating back to the Bhoj-Parmar dynasty.

The court also partially set aside the Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) April 7, 2003 order, which had permitted the Muslim community to offer Namaz at the site on Fridays. ASI lawyer Aviral Vikas Khare said the Bhojshala complex would continue to remain under the protection and supervision of the ASI. Khare said, "The entire administration and regulation of this monument shall remain exclusively with the ASI." (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)