India: Following ASI survey, VHP urges Muslim side to hand over Gyanvapi Mosque to Hindus

Two days after the release of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) survey report on the Gyanvapi Mosque complex, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has called for the mosque to be officially designated as a Hindu temple.

The VHP, on Saturday, urged the Muslim side to hand over the site to the Hindu community. However, the Muslim petitioners involved in the longstanding case contended that the ASI survey report does not constitute a final verdict.

On Thursday, Vishnu Shankar Jain, the representative for the Hindu party involved in the Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath case, claimed that the ASI survey suggests the mosque was built on the remains of a pre-existing temple. Jain argued that the 17th-century mosque replaced a huge Hindu temple destroyed by Aurangzeb.