Pratapgarh (UP), Jun 12: People at Juhi Shukulpur village here built a "corona mata" temple, seeking divine grace to stay clear of the infection. However, the temple built on June 7 was demolished on Friday night.

Villagers alleged that it was demolished by police, which denied the charge, saying it was constructed on a disputed site and one of the parties involved in the dispute razed it.

Villagers said the temple was constructed five days ago by Lokesh Kumar Srivastava with the help of donations from local residents.

He installed the idol of the "corona mata". Radhey Shyam Verma of the village was appointed its priest, after which people started offering prayers there.

Lokesh, who lives in Noida, jointly owns the land with Nagesh Kumar Srivastava and Jai Prakash Srivastava. He left the village for Noida after the temple was constructed.

Nagesh in his complaint to police said the temple was constructed to grab the land.

Sangipur police station SHO Tushardutt Tyagi said the temple was built on a disputed land and was razed by one of the parties involved in the dispute.

The matter is being investigated, police said.

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New Delhi: Delhi Capitals (DC) head coach Ricky Ponting has addressed the long-standing rumor regarding his bat during the 2003 World Cup Final against India at Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg, debunking the myth surrounding its alleged spring mechanism.

Ponting was previously accused of using a spring in his bat during the title clash against India, purportedly to gain an advantage in generating more power and distance in his shots. His unbeaten 140-run knock, which included eight sixes, played a pivotal role in Australia posting a formidable total of 359/2.

Despite more than two decades passing since Australia's fourth World Cup triumph, questions about Ponting's bat persist. In 2020, the former Australian captain shared a picture of his bat used in the 2003 final, but netizens continued to inquire about the alleged spring mechanism.

In a video shared by Delhi Capitals on its social media platform, an influencer jokingly prodded Ponting to divulge details about his supposed spring bat.

Responding to the query, Ponting jokingly stated, “Yes there was spring in the bat handle. Only one bat and I only used in WC 2003 final.”

However, Ponting clarified that he never used such a bat and debunked the myth.

Reflecting on the 2003 World Cup Final, Australia convincingly defeated India by 125 runs to clinch their then-record fourth title of the prestigious tournament. After setting a commanding total of 359/2, Australia's bowling attack dismantled the Indian batting lineup, restricting them to 234 all out in 39.2 overs. Pace spearhead Glenn McGrath led the charge with three wickets, supported by Brett Lee and Andrew Symonds, who claimed two scalps each.

Virender Sehwag emerged as India's top scorer in the final, contributing 82 runs off 81 balls, while Rahul Dravid posted the second-highest score of 47.