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ASI fabricating evidence in Ayodhya, says Waqf Board

Lucknow June 10. The Sunni Central Waqf Board, a plaintiff in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title suit, and some Muslim parties have accused the Archaeological Survey of India team carrying out excavation work at the acquired land in Ayodhya of "fabricating" archaeological evidence there.

In an application submitted to H.S. Dubey and M.A. Siddique, the two observers monitoring the excavation work, the SCWB and the Muslim parties disputed the ASI's progress report submitted to the special bench of the Allahabad High Court hearing the matter, counsel for the SCWB, Zafaryab Jilani, told PTI here today.

While the ASI report mentioned the existence of structural bases, which it said were very old, the Muslim parties claimed that these belonged to a much later period, Mr. Jilani said. The Muslim parties moved the application after their own team of archaeologists carefully went through the excavation work being carried out by the ASI, he said.

The SCWB also objected to what it alleged was the selective collection of artefacts being found at the site, Mr. Jilani said. Artefacts such as moulded bricks, sculpted stone fragments and terracotta figurines were being collected while Islamic glazed pottery, glazed tiles and animal bones were being thrown away, he alleged.

Mr. Jilani said the SCWB's team of archaeologists comprising Sheerin Ratnagar, Suraj Bhan, D. Mondal and Sita Ram Rai were in Ayodhya to examine archaeological evidence. The SCWB and the parties would approach the court if their application was not considered by the two observers.

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