Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has transferred Buddhesh Kumar Vaid as Vidisha collector in the wake of a row erupted over the religious identity of an ancient monument. The row was triggered by the demand by the local Hindu community to allow them to worship in the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI)-protected Bijamandal mosque in Vidisha on the Nag Panchami festival, calling the 11th century monument as the Vijaya temple. Vaid turned down their plea citing the gazette notification of 1951, produced by the ASI, which identified the monument as Beejamandal mosque. Vaid was transferred as deputy secretary, home, late on Saturday night. Sources in the Chief Minister’s Office denied that the transfer of the 2014-batch IAS officer had anything to do with the controversy. He was among the 26 IAS officers who were transferred, they said. Local BJP MLA Mukesh Tondon has threatened to move court, seeking a scientific survey of the monument to establish that it was a temple which was demolished during the rule of Aurangzeb. In another development, eminent lawyer from Vidisha and government advocate in Gwalior high court Pawan Singh Raghuvami said that the district collector with the concurrence of the community can well take the decision to allow worship at the site as per Section 16 of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958. There was no need for the collector to ascertain the status of the monument from the ASI, Raghuvamsi claimed.
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