Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi (UP), May 19 (PTI) A commission appointed by a court here to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque-Shringar Gauri complex filed its report on Thursday, submitting documents, videos and photographs.

Special Advocate Commissioner Vishal Singh said he has submitted the report on the survey conducted on May 14, 15 and 16.

"I do not have the right to tell what is in the survey report. Now the court will take further action on it," he told the media outside the court.

Sambhal (UP), May 19 (PTI) Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rehman Barq on Thursday said the claimed discovery of a Shivling in Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque complex was false propaganda and urged opposition parties to counter it.

The local MP said Hindus and Muslims should ensure that such propaganda is stopped as every mosque is now being seen with suspicion.

Mathura (UP), May 17 (PTI) A group of lawyers and law students has filed a plea in a court here demanding that Muslims be restrained from offering prayers at the Shahi Idgah mosque, which they said has been built at the place believed to be the birthplace of Lord Krishna.

Ten separate petitions have earlier been filed in Mathura courts by different Hindu groups seeking the removal of the mosque, which they claimed was built at the birthplace of the deity, within the 13.37-acre premises of the Katra Keshav Dev temple.

Jaipur, May 17 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday accused the BJP of creating a new drama in the country on the issue of Varanasi's Mandi Gyanvapi mosque and asserted that saffron party's policies are going to ruin the nation.

"BJP has no faith in democracy Its leaders are doing politics wearing the mask of democracy. The policies, programmes, and principles of these (BJP) people are going to ruin the country," Gehlot said, while addressing the Azadi Gaurav Yatra of Congress Seva Dal here.

New Delhi, May 17 (PTI) The construction work of Ram temple at Ayodhya, a three-storey structure, is proceeding as per schedule, an official statement said on Tuesday.

According to the statement from the Ram temple construction committee Chairman Nripendra Misra's office, the construction of plinth with granite stone, which started in February 2022, is planned for completion by August 2022. About 17,000 stones of size 5ftx2.5ftx3ft will be used in the construction of the plinth.

Lucknow, May 18 (PTI) No new madrassa will be given a grant by the Uttar Pradesh government, the state cabinet has decided.

UP minister of state for minority welfare Danish Azad Ansari told PTI on Wednesday that the decision was taken at the state cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath a day earlier.

The minister said that the madrassas currently receiving government grants will continue to get it, but no new beneficiary will be included in the list.

Ghazipur (UP), May 18 (PTI) A 22-year-old woman was allegedly killed for dowry at a village here, police said on Wednesday.

Chanda's body was found hanging in her room Tuesday morning at her in-laws' Sakra village, they said.

In a police complaint, her father claimed that Chanda's in-laws were demanding a motorbike in dowry, and they allegedly killed and hanged her body.

Chitrakoot (UP), May 18 (PTI) A 26-year-old woman was allegedly raped by an occultist and her relative here on the pretext of treating her headaches, police said on Wednesday.

The incident took place on the night of May 13 under Mau police station area. One of the accused has been arrested, they said.

Station House Officer (SHO), Mau, Bhaskar Mishra said the woman had gone to the occultist, Rambabu alias Bengali Baba, along with her elder sister and a relative to seek treatment for her headaches.

Balrampur (UP) May 17 (PTI) A seven-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her brother-in-law in the Utraula Kotwali area here, police said on Tuesday.

The accused had come to his in-laws' house on Sunday. He was in a room with his wife when the minor girl came to call her elder sister, Utraula Kotwali police station in-charge inspector Anil Singh said.

As soon as his wife left the room, the man raped the minor girl, he said quoting a complaint filed by the victim's mother.

Varanasi, May 16 (PTI) A court-mandated videography survey of the Gyanvapi Masjid complex, which was carried out for the third consecutive day, concluded on Monday amid tight security, officials said.

The survey of the mosque complex, which started at 8 am, concluded at around 10:15 am.