Temple-mosque disputes simmer across UP; row in Sambhal, Mathura, Varanasi among other places

LUCKNOW: As the 32nd anniversary of the Babri mosque’s demolition was observed on Friday, there are several temple-mosque disputes simmering across Uttar Pradesh –“ all with the potential to stoke tensions like in Sambhal, where violence after a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque has left four people dead.

Friday marked the first anniversary of the demolition of the Babri masjid after the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya on January 22.

Some Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders like former Uttar Pradesh minister and Vishva Hindu Parishad’s (VHP) Vinay Katiyar have even claimed that Agra’s Taj Mahal, one of the seven wonders of the world, was actually built over a “Tejo Mahalaya” or Shiva temple.