Click to play videoNew Delhi: In the wake of the controversy over the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) affidavit filed on the Sethusamudram case in the Supreme Court, two senior officials of the ASI were suspended on Friday.
According to sources, two senior ASI officials – an assistant director of the team and the other a director of the administration – were suspended after an inquiry was ordered by the Secretary of the Union Culture Ministry.
The suspension was approved by Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni. However, preliminary inquiry has shown that the said affidavit was vetted by the Ministry of Culture and Law.
The ASI affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, which said there was no historical or scientific proof about the existence of Lord Ram or Ram Setu as a man-made bridge, had set off a huge political storm with the BJP accusing the government of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.
The Government promptly went into a damage control exercise following a directive from Congress President Sonia Gandhi and withdrew its two affidavits from the Supreme Court.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balkrishnan said that the August 31 interim order that put construction on hold in the Ram Setu area will continue. The government has sought three months time from the court and has said it will examine the issue.
But despite the Government's efforts to save face, the BJP continued their aggressive stand over the ASI affidavit.
BJP demands an apology
The Congress avoided a major political setback with the party top brass realising early that targetting Hinduism could become a poll issue.
Next Page: Map and Setu FAQs
“To err is human but to rectify immediately is divine,” said Congress Spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi on Friday.
However, the BJP stuck to its demand that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi apologise for the controversial affidavit on Ram Setu, and described its withdrawal as an outcome of "Hindu outrage."
"The withdrawal is no abatement of the seriousness of the issue. We regard this affidavit as a crime, blasphemy. Both the Prime Minister and the Congress chief owe an apology to the country," said BJP spokesperson Prakash Javadekar.
BRIDGE OF CONTROVERSY |
 Ram Setu is a mythical bridge southeast of Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu, connecting with the Talaimanar coast of Sri Lanka. |
| Hindu groups say the Rs 2087-Sethusamudram project, which will build a canal from the west coast of India to the east coast without going around Sri Lanka, will damage the Setu. Work on the project began in July 2005. |
| Hindu groups believe Lord Ram’s army built the Setu to cross over to Sri Lanka and rescue Sita. The Government says the Setu (bridge) is actually a natural, 30-km-long chain of sand banks. |
| The Supreme Court has restrained the government from causing any damage to the Setu. |
| The Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project will dredge a channel in a narrow strip of sea between India and Sri Lanka, reducing distances and cutting costs for freight traffic. |
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