The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has once again brought the historic Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambal, Uttar Pradesh, back into the spotlight after a newly put-up signboard labels the mosque as ‘Juma Masjid’. Now, it expected that a blue-coloured ASI board, presently in possession of the Satyavrat police outpost, would replace the older sign that read ‘Shahi Jama Masjid’, a widely accepted nomenclature for the site by locals and visitors.
The newly prepared signboard clearly depicts the official name written in ASI’s records as ‘Juma Masjid’. Noting that another board was put up outside the mosque by identified and unidentified persons putting up a notice of ‘Shahi Jama Masjid,’ he said. The ASI has re-issued a new board to correspond with what is the correct nomenclature, in line with its records. Sharma added that a similar „Juma Masjid‟ name is already board-fixed inside the mosque premises and has been approved by the ASI.
The new board, if installed, would not be the first, and has reignited debate over what is historically and culturally a mosque. It follows a previous period of tensions over the mosque. Violence broke out in the Kot Garvi locality of Sambhal on November 24, 2023, during a survey of the Mughal-era mosque that had stirred controversy over a petition that claimed the site of the mosque was an original Hindu temple. It resulted in the death of four people and injury to many more.
Authorities are proceeding cautiously over the way its board is installed as the situation continues to be sensitive, taking into heed sensitive historical, religious and political sentiment on the conflict taking place.
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