Hooghly, India – In November 2019, India’s Supreme Court approved the construction of a Hindu temple on disputed land in the northern town of Ayodhya, where there was once a medieval-era mosque.
Around the same time, authorities in the state of West Bengal – about 900km (559 miles) away – fenced a two-acre (0.8-hectare) land parcel in a sleepy neighbourhood of Hooghly district and barred all entry.
Hindu pilgrims argue the site, with remnants of a mosque and a robust minaret, in Pandua town about 100km (62 miles) north of Kolkata, the capital of the West Bengal state, is a Hindu shrine of goddess Shrinkhala Devi.
When Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat early on Tuesday morning met National Award winning Bollywood actor Mithun Chakraborty at his residence, it naturally ended up triggering intense speculation in political circles.Bhagwat, 70, .
The Supreme Court Monday refused to entertain a plea seeking directions to the Centre, the West Bengal government and the Election Commission to ensure free, peaceful, safe and fair assembly polls scheduled this year in the state.