Renewed clamour for Kashi, Mathura after Babri acquittal

Apparently buoyed by their acquittal in the Babri Masjid demolition case, several saffron leaders on Wednesday publicly vowed to 'liberate' the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi and Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura.

A few saffron leaders even threatened to demolish what they termed the 'blots' on the rich history of Hinduism and must be 'removed' without delay.

''Ye to pehli jhanki hai.....Kashi, Mathura baki hai.....jahan jahan daag hai usko saaf karenge,'' (Babri demolition was just a trailer....Kashi and Mathura are still there to be liberated....we will wipe out the blots, wherever they are), Hindu seer and one of the acquitted accused Acharya Dharmendra told reporters outside the special CBI court here on Wednesday.

Several other accused persons, who were acquitted, also echoed similar sentiments. ''Now we will focus on Kashi and Mathura,'' said Santosh Dubey, a saffron leader.

One of the saffron leaders said that he would launch a movement for the demolition of the Gyanvapi mosque, which was adjacent to Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi and Shahi Idgah mosque, adjacent to Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura.

The renewed clamour came on the day when a district court in Mathura was scheduled to hear the civil suit claiming ownership of the entire land on which the Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi was situated and seeking removal of the Sahi Idgah Mosque on Wednesday.

A petition seeking to remove the Gyanvapi mosque is also pending in a Varanasi court and the hearing in the matter has been scheduled in the first week of October.