Scrap Places Of Worship Act, Set Up Panel To Reclaim Temple Lands From Mosques: UP Shia Board Ex-Chief To PM Modi

Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board's former chairman Wasim Rizvi has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to abolish the Places of Worship Act, 1991 and also demanded that a high-level committee be constituted to reclaim land from mosques constructed over ancient temples, reports The Indian Express.

The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 was formulated by the then Congress government. The Act seeks to protect all religious structures as they existed at the time of Independence with the exception of the site at Ayodhya.

Rizvi said that the law was brought in by the then Congress government to appease some Muslim organisations.

Rizvi in his letter to PM Modi has also given details of such structures not just in Uttar Pradesh but also in Gujarat, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and New Delhi.

In the letter, he has named Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura, and Kashi Vishvanath temple in Varanasi among others as some ancient temples demolished by the Mughal rulers.

"We live in a democratic country. We cannot undo the exploitation by the Mughal emperors, but giving back the religious belongings will be justice to the Hindus of the country," Rizvi was quoted as saying.