ASI team arrives, security tight

Mani remained tightlipped, saying that ‘‘the court has directed us not to talk to the media’’. ASI sources, however, indicated that the actual digging will start only after the entire area has been mapped.

‘‘Once the team finalises its action plan, it will inform the court-appointed officer on special duty about the date on which it will begin excavation so that the parties in the dispute can be present during the exercise,’’ an ASI official said on condition of anonymity.

The Allahabad HC, which has ordered the ASI to submit a report within a month, has allowed the presence of one representative each of the disputed parties.

‘‘It is going to be on the lines of the electoral counting system. The representatives of the disputed parties are supposed to ensure that there is no tampering of evidence,’’ a senior culture ministry official explained in New Delhi.

Two representatives of Tojo Vikas International (Pvt) Limited — the Canadian company that conducted the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) survey on the court’s orders between December 30 and January 16 — have been included in the team. The survey had indicated the presence of ‘‘structures’’ beneath the surface.

The ASI team will excavate what used to be the courtyard of the demolished mosque without disturbing the 10-sq ft area where the idol of Ramlalla is placed.

‘‘The excavation would ascertain whether a temple existed on the area where the Babri Masjid was built,’’ the court order said. The team will visit the site tomorrow morning for a preliminary survey and set up a camp office in Manas Bhawan before mapping the area.

‘‘The excavation could be carried out to the south of Ram Chabutara (an erected platform at a distance from the sanctum sanctorum) as had been mentioned by the HC. We have taken special care to ensure that devotees should not miss the darshan of Ramlalla during the excavation process The ASI had asked us to arrange 50 to 60 labourers and a dark room and we have provided both,’’ said commissioner Srivastava.

Head priest Satindra Das of the makeshift Ramlalla temple expressed some apprehension: ‘‘The court has directed that excavation should be done at a distance of 10 feet from where the idol is placed. It could damage the makeshift structure.’’

Inspector General of Police, Lucknow, A K Jain told reporters that foolproof security arrangements had been made in and around the acquired land and the excavation area would be cordoned off.

A human wall would be formed between the makeshift temple and the excavation site and no one would be allowed inside the area, Jain said.

Members of the ASI team as well as the labourers would be issued identity cards, he said.

The instruments used in excavation would be listed and kept in safe custody after the day’s work, he added.

Meanwhile, the ASI will be coming out with the fisrt volume of B B Lal’s two-decade old excavation report by the end of this month. ‘‘While the present excavation will concentrate on the disputed site, Lal’s excavation focuses on the undisputed site,’’ ASI officials said in New Delhi.

(With inputs from Santwana Bhattacharya)