UP: ASI to replace 'Shahi Jama Masjid' signboard with 'Juma Masjid'

Sambhal: The historic Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal district is once again at the centre of attention, this time over a new signboard issued by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) that refers to the mosque as "Juma Masjid," differing from its commonly known name.

The blue ASI signboard, currently kept at the Satyavrat police outpost, is expected to be installed soon and will replace the older signage that displayed the name “Shahi Jama Masjid.”

ASI counsel Vishnu Sharma confirmed the change, stating, “An ASI board was earlier installed outside the mosque but was allegedly removed by certain individuals who replaced it with a board calling it ‘Shahi Jama Masjid’. The new board has been issued in accordance with the name recorded in ASI documents, which is ‘Juma Masjid’.”

According to Sharma, a similar ASI board bearing the name “Juma Masjid” is already installed within the mosque premises.

While the ASI has not yet provided a timeline for installing the new board, its placement is likely to reignite public discourse surrounding the site, which has recently been the subject of legal and communal tensions.

The Mughal-era mosque has been at the heart of controversy following a petition alleging that the structure was built over the remains of an ancient Hindu temple. Tensions escalated last year during a survey related to the claim.

On November 24, violence broke out in Sambhal’s Kot Garvi locality during the ASI-led survey of the mosque, resulting in the deaths of four individuals and injuries to several others.

With PTI inputs