Cleaning Of Gyanvapi Complex's 'Wazookhana' Scheduled For 20 January, Representatives Of Hindu And Muslim Sides To Be Present

After the Supreme Court's permission for the cleaning of the wazookhana (water tank) in Gyanvapi complex, the date of 20 January for the cleaning work was fixed after a meeting held in Varanasi on Thursday.

This meeting was held under the chairmanship of District Magistrate S Rajalingam where the Hindu side, Anjuman Intezamiya Masjid Committee and police officers were present.

The cleaning will be done on 20 January between 9 and 11 am. Two representatives each from the Hindu and Muslim sides will be present during the cleaning work, Amar Ujala reported.

However, none of these representatives are allowed to cross the fence of the wazookhana, only the cleanliness workers can cross this fence. The cleaning will be done under tight security and no unauthorised entry will be permitted.

The court's decision came after Additional Solicitor General Madhavi Divan, representing the Uttar Pradesh government, requested permission for the cleaning process, citing the presence of dead fish in the tank.

While ASI conducted a survey of the Gynavapi complex, the Supreme Court's order had clarified that the wazookhana, which houses a structure claimed to be a 'Shivling' by Hindu litigants, would not be part of the survey.

While the ASI submitted its survey report in a sealed cover to the district court on 18 December, it has not made the report public, which is "a clear violation" of the Supreme Court's 4 August judgment.

The contentious site has been a subject of legal disputes, with Hindu activists asserting that a temple existed at the location and was allegedly demolished in the seventeenth century under the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.