2 arrested after crude bomb goes off in Mumbai shanty
Mumbai, Oct 9 : Two persons including a minor were arrested in Mumbai's Antop Hill area after a crude bomb they were assembling went off, a Crime Branch official said Tuesday.
The bomb, packed in a tin box, contained potassium nitrate obtained from four "sutli" (twine) firecrackers with glass pieces and nails added to it, the official said.
The bomb went off on Sunday in the shanty in which the two accused were staying in Noora Bazar locality of Antop Hill's Bangalpura area, alerting neighbours and subsequently the police, the official said.
Police identified the two accused as Azrul Sheikh (22) and a minor, both daily wage workers hailing from West Bengal.
"The two accused made a bomb from potassium nitrate powder obtained from four sutli bombs. They added glass pieces and nails to it. They had bought a packet of sutli bombs and after bursting six of them, used the other four to assemble this bomb," explained Dilip Sawant, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Detection).
He said Sheikh was injured when the bomb went off.
Antop Hill police registered a case and the two accused were produced in court and remanded in police custody for seven days, he informed.
The DCP said that a Mumbai police team had left for West Bengal to conduct further probe into the case.
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Bhojshala case: Disputed structure built from remains of pre-existing temples, claims ASI
Indore (PTI): The ASI has told the Madhya Pradesh High Court that a massive structure dating back to the Paramara kings' rule existed at the disputed Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex, and the current structure was built from the remains of temples.
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) made the claim on Tuesday based on its 98-day scientific survey and over 2,000-page report.
The Hindu community considers Bhojshala a temple dedicated to Vagdevi (Goddess Saraswati), while the Muslim side claims the monument as the Kamal Maula Mosque. The disputed complex is protected by the ASI.
During the hearing before Justices Vijay Kumar Shukla and Alok Awasthi of the HC's Indore bench, Additional Solicitor General Sunil Kumar Jain, representing the ASI, presented a detailed account of the scientific survey conducted two years ago at the complex.
Referring to the ASI's survey report, he said, "Retrieved architectural remains, sculptural fragments, large slabs of inscriptions with literary texts, Nagakarnika inscriptions on pillars, etc, suggest that a large structure associated with literary and educational activities existed at the site. Based on scientific investigations and archaeological remains recovered during the investigations, this pre-existing structure can be dated to the Paramara period."
It can be said that the existing structure was made from the parts of earlier temples, based on scientific investigations, survey and archaeological excavations conducted, study and analysis of retrieved finds, study of architectural remains, sculptures, and inscriptions, art and sculptures, Jain said quoting the report.
Summarising the report, he also drew the court's attention to the fact that the archaeological study identifies that many architectural components, such as pillars and beams, were originally part of temple structures before being repurposed for a mosque.
"The evidence of this transition includes Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions that were damaged or hidden, alongside sculptures of deities and animals that were often mutilated or defaced," Jain contended.
The report also states that "all Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions are older than the Arabic and Persian inscriptions, indicating that users or engravers of the Sanskrit and Prakrit inscriptions occupied the place earlier".
In light of the Muslim side's earlier objections, the bench wanted to know why there were some discrepancies in the ASI's responses regarding the status of the disputed complex in the cases filed over the years.
The Additional Solicitor General argued that earlier studies of the complex involved only officials, while the current survey involved scientists and the use of advanced technologies such as Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).
The hearing in the Bhojshala case will continue on Wednesday.
The high court has been regularly hearing four petitions and one writ appeal regarding the religious nature of the Bhojshala temple-Kamal Maula mosque complex since April 6.
