India, June 9 -- A row has erupted over the placement of an ashtadhatu idol of goddess Vagdevi inside the highly sensitive Bhojshala complex and its alleged removal by the Archaeological Survey of India, three weeks after the Madhya Pradesh High Court declared the monument a temple.

A petitioner from the Hindu side has blamed the ASI for the removal of the idol, calling it a contempt of court, while a representative from the Muslim side has objected to its installation. The High Court, accepting two public interest petitions from the Hindu side, declared Bhojshala a temple of Goddess Vagdevi (Saraswati) on May 15.

The HC stated that the ASI shall have 'full supervisory control' over the preservation, conservation, and regulation of reli...