According to district magistrate Dr. Rajender Pensiya, a four-person team from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examined 19 wells, five “teerths,” and a recently discovered temple in Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, as reported by news agency ANI.
At Sambhal, ASI assessed 19 wells and 5 ‘teerth’. They also examined the newly discovered temple. It took 8–10 hours to complete the survey. About twenty-four sites were surveyed in total, according to DM Pensiya.
He added that the ASI would report back to them on what they had discovered. According to news agency PTI, the ASI received a letter from the Sambhal district administration requesting carbon dating of the temple and well. Following its discovery by officials during an anti-encroachment drive near the Shahi Jama Masjid, the “ancient” Shri Kartik Mahadev Temple (also known as the Bhasma Shankar temple) was once again available for prayers on December 13.
According to reports, the temple had been shuttered since Hindu families were uprooted during religious violence in the area in 1978. Conflicts between local locals and the police over a court-ordered study of the Shahi Jama Masjid preceded the temple’s discovery.
Five individuals were killed and twenty police officers were injured in the ensuing conflict on November 24. Police have since been stationed throughout the area.
According to the Places of Worship Act (1991), the Supreme Court directed civil courts to stop filing new lawsuits contesting the ownership or title of any place of worship and to stop conducting surveys of contested religious sites in November.