Four new spots taken up for excavation in Ayodhya

The Archaeological Survey of India on Saturday marked four more spots, each measuring 4X4 metres, to excavate at the disputed site in Ayodhya.

They are parallel to the four that were chosen earlier, according to an official.

Digging, however, remained suspended in two of the four original spots where the excavation team had struck a hard surface after scooping out barely three inches of mud.

Since the surface turned out to be the floor of the Babri mosque, the ASI considered it necessary to seek fresh directives from the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court.

"Inch by inch as they moved, the excavation team could go barely five inches deep in about one-third of the area of the new pits. They went some nine inches into two of the four older pits," a representative of one of the Hindu groups said.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad counsel Madan Mohan Pandey said: "As the excavations proceed, you will see facts getting unearthed... to confirm our contention that the Babri mosque was built after the demolition of a temple, which was built to mark the birthplace of Lord Ram."

Meanwhile, Zafaryab Jilani, the lawyer for the Sunni Central Waqf Board and convenor of the Babri Masjid Action Committee, raised objections to the absence of Muslim labourers in the excavating team.

"Since the excavations are aimed at digging out the truth… there is every reason to have an equal number of Hindu and Muslim labourers to carry out the task," he told rediff.com

"I have submitted my objections in writing to the ASI team head, B R Mani," he said.

He denied reports that Muslim labourers had declined to join the digging team.