The Hindu : Singhal claims probe has found structure below masjid

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 22, 2003

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National

Singhal claims probe has found structure below masjid

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI FEB. 21. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader, Ashok Singhal, today claimed to "know" that there was indeed a structure beneath the demolished Babri Masjid on the basis of the findings of a report submitted by an agency which had conducted a radar probe 5 metres below the surface at the site in Ayodhya.

He claimed that this "report" was now public property but its findings were being kept secret. On the basis of this, he claimed that this was "proof" there was a temple which had been destroyed at the site where the Babri Masjid stood. But senior lawyers, including Rajeev Dhawan and Kapil Sibal, who have been involved in the Ayodhya-related cases, said they had no knowledge of this "report". "In any case, even if there is such a report how can anyone come to the conclusion that the structure beneath was a temple and not a residential place," Mr. Sibal asked. He also pointed out that many places in India had been inhabited for hundreds of centuries and "there may be older structures beneath many existing monuments".

Speaking at an election rally in Himachal Pradesh tow days ago, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, referred to the very good possibility of the existence of a temple beneath the destroyed Babri structure. He suggested that if this was true then the Ram temple should be built on the spot, and if this was not true then everyone should abide by the court verdict.

In political circles here, Mr. Vajpayee's statement and Mr. Singhal's claim are being linked and it is being said that Mr. Vajpayee may have said what he did because he would have been privy to the findings of this "report".

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