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Ram Chabootra was made of clay

The Milli Gazette Online

Lucknow: Mahant Dharam Das while deposing before the special commissioner Hari Shankar Dubey in Babri Masjid ownership case said in reply to Nirmohi Akhara lawyer that Ram Chabootra near Babri Masjid in Ayodhya was made of clay in 1962 which was later on made pakka. In reply to another question he said that area of Ram Chabootra in 1962, was 17x21 (357 sq ft). He also admitted that after unlocking of Babri Masjid in 1986, he had gone there for the first time to have a darshan of idols placed below the middle dome. He said that on one side of the disputed building Sita Rasoyee (kitchen) was built but he could not say whether there was any board or some thing like that to this effect on the Sita Rasoyee.

He said that in 1961 electric connection had been fitted in Babri Masjid and the bill was received in the name of his guru, Abhay Ram Das. He however could not say at which particular place in Babri Masjid the electric meter was installed. He said that Hanuman Garhi is a fort but could not say whether it is built on a mound. He also could not say when he was born.

He tried to prove in the present hearing that occupation of this disputed place has been going on continuously from the beginning whereas the Nirmohi Akhara is trying to prove that the occupation of this place has been going on from very early ages. (Rashtriya Sahara [Urdu daily], March 17, 2005) «