"There is Shiv Linga beneath UP CM residence; must be excavated," says SP's Ravidas Mehrotra

"Like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav earlier announced Rs 5 lakh for the deceased's kin in the Sambhal violence, today we are going there to hand over the cheques. We are also going there to check whether the people who got injured have been getting proper treatment. We will also look into how people were assaulted in Sambhal and how police launched firing at people. We will probe the entire incident. The Uttar Pradesh CM's residence at 5, Kalidas Marg also has Shiv Linga beneath it. If BJP is finding temples beneath mosques, then, the CM residence must also be excavated," said Ravidas Mehrotra.

Notably, the SP chief Yadav earlier at the end of November announced that his party would provide compensation worth Rs five lakhs to the kin of the deceased in the Sambhal violence.

Earlier, Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav, in a jibe at the ongoing excavation work in Uttar Pradesh, suggested that a Shivling might also be found at the residence of the state's Chief Minister.

"Since the excavation work is underway, I believe that there is a Shivling at the Chief Minister's residence too... we have faith that the Shivling is there," Yadav remarked, implying that such discoveries were allegedly being overly dramatized for political purposes. He further stated, "We should all prepare for its excavation... The media should go first, and we will join after that."

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Sambhal District Magistrate (DM) Dr Rajender Pensiya announced the commencement of restoration and reconstruction work at the Chaturmukh Well in Sambhal.

He stated that the Municipal Council has started the work of restoration and reconstruction of Chaturmukh well. Under this, we have visited here, so we will preserve all the wells ourselves and we will get a budget from the government for all the pilgrimage sites.

He further added that funds for the restoration were being provided by the government as part of efforts to preserve historical and religious sites in the region.

In line with this initiative, he revealed that the district had also received funds under the "Vandan Yojana for the Yam Tirtha", also known as Yamghant Tirtha.

Work is currently underway to build a police post in the vacant ground near Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal in the wake of violence that erupted last month during an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examination of a Mughal-era mosque, resulting in four fatalities and multiple injuries among police personnel and locals.

The construction has begun for a new police outpost in Sambhal with the Rapid Action Force (RAF) deployed to ensure security. This development comes after recent violence in the area, resulting in casualties, and aims to strengthen security and prevent further unrest. (ANI)