Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday asserted that forcibly seizing someone’s faith and trampling over their beliefs is “unacceptable,” particularly “when we know the truth about Sambhal.” He claimed that the site predates Islam and that a Vishnu temple there was destroyed in 1526.

“Sambhal has been mentioned in scriptures that are 5,000 years old. They contain references to Lord Vishnu’s future incarnation. Islam, on the other hand, emerged only 1,400 years ago. I am talking about something that predates Islam by at least 2,000 years.

“The evidence for these things has existed for centuries. Remember, in 1526, a temple of Lord Vishnu in Sambhal was demolished. Two years later, in 1528, the Ram temple in Ayodhya was destroyed,” Adityanath said.

Remarks at RSS-linked event

Speaking at Manthan: Kumbh and Beyond in Lucknow, an event organised by the RSS-affiliated weekly Organiser, Adityanath said both acts were carried out by the same person.

Ongoing dispute in Sambhal

Tensions have been running high in Sambhal since last November following a court-ordered survey at a mosque believed by some to be the site of a demolished temple.