Sambhal (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 23 : Sambhal District Magistrate Rajendra Pensia on Sunday, giving an update on the excavation work being carried out in the district, said that the authorities have found 60 Deva Tirthas and removed encroachments from 44 out of them.
Speaking with ANI, the district magistrate said, "As per Sambhal Mahatmya, three Shiv temples are present on the three corners of Sambhal. Between them, there are 87 Deva Tirtha and 5 Maha Tirtha. Till now, we have found 60 Deva Tirtha and removed encroachment from 44 out of them."
DM Pensia said that all the 60 Deva Tirtha are being renovated and beautified and that the budget for the renovation of sites are being provided under the Vandan Yojana.
"All of them are being renovated and beautified... A DPR (Detailed Project Report) is being prepared to be sent to the government. The work is being done using the budget we are receiving under the Vandan Yojana, the 15th finance commission of the Municipal Council, and the Tourism and Religious Affairs Department," the district magistrate said.
"We are ready to revive all the wells soon because the monsoon is about to arrive... Our places of pilgrimage were called Jal Tirtha, so it is necessary to revive them so that water can be conserved... When the 24 Kosi Parikrama, which is 48 kilometres long, is completed and all the places of pilgrimage are beautified, then Sambhal will also become a place of pilgrimage and tourism," he said.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Uttar Pradesh Police SIT filed a chargesheet of over 4,000 pages in six of the 12 cases in the November 24 Sambhal violence that erupted during the ASI's examination of the Mughal-era mosque.
The violence resulted in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to several others, including officials and locals.
According to the chargesheet, 80 arrests have been made, and 79 are still pending. There are 159 total accused in the case.
The chargesheet also mentioned that the weapons recovered from the site of violence and other places were manufactured in the United Kingdom, USA, Germany, and Czechoslovakia.