Oct. 14: The Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid, Maulana Syed Ahmad Bukhari, on Thursday lost his cool and physically assaulted a local journalist who asked him some questions related to the Ayodhya dispute.
The Shahi Imam threatened the journalist with dire consequences and used abusive language.
The journalist later lodged a complaint against the Shahi Imam and his supporters at the Hazratganj police station. Maulana Bukhari lost his temper when the journalist, Mr Mohammad Wahid Chishti, who represents a local paper Dastane Awadh, said that according to his sources the disputed land was shown as belonging to Raja Dashrath in the land records of 1528. He wanted to know why the disputed land could not be handed over to the Hindus when Muslims had built so many temples in the country.
“As such, Ram, who was his heir, should inherit the land. Also when Muslim rulers had built so many temples in this country, what is the harm in handing over one more temple to them?” he asked.