Sambhal, 16 Mar

The whitewashing of the outer wall of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal began on Sunday morning, an advocate of the mosque side said.

The Allahabad High Court on 12 March directed the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to undertake and complete the whitewashing at the mosque within one week.

Following the high court order, an ASI team carried out measurements and assessments on 13 March.

"The whitewashing of the outer wall of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal began on Sunday," Shakeel Warsi, an advocate representing the mosque side in the Sambhal district court told PTI.

Sambhal has been tense after riots broke out on 24 November last year following a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid, a Mughal-era mosque. Four people were killed and several, including police personnel, were injured in the clashes.