Varanasi (UP), Dec 18 (PTI) The district administration here has started looking for the ownership papers of a temple closed for four decades after a group of people demanded that it be reopened, officials said on Wednesday.

Additional District Magistrate, City, Alok Verma said, "We came to know about this temple through newspapers. In the next three-four days, we will probe it."

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"Our team of legal advisors is looking into its ownership. If the temple is declared public property, then it will be opened for everyone," he said.

On Monday, several people led by Sanatan Raksha Dal's Uttar Pradesh president Ajay Sharma, gathered in the Madanpura area here, demanding that the temple be reopened.

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Sharma clarified that the effort to reopen the temple is not to cause any dispute or conflict.

"It is located in an area now predominantly inhabited by members of the Muslim community. The temple premises is filled with dirt and debris," Sharma said.

He claimed that the surrounding land, once owned by Hindus, is now inhabited mostly by Muslim families, leading to the temple being abandoned over time.

A team of district administration and police officials reached the temple on Tuesday to look into its ownership papers.

DCP (Kashi Zone) Gaurav Banswal said that according to the locals, the temple has been closed for about 40 years.

"Nobody knows who has the keys. Now, some organizations have demanded that the lock be opened and worship be restarted there. Revenue and administration teams are investigating the matter," he said.

"Old records are being searched and all legal processes will be followed," the police officer said, adding the locals have no objection to the reopening of the temple.

He said that Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel had been deployed and they were patrolling the area.

Ajay Sharma claimed that there was no opposition or controversy regarding the reopening of the temple.

"The police have extended their cooperation while discussions with the mayor have also been held. We will soon clean the temple premises and resume traditional rituals and worship," he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)