Excavation of Sambhal stepwell on, member of royal family claims ownership

LUCKNOW The district administration in Sambhal roped in manual workforce and deployed earth movers to expedite the excavation work at an age-old 400 sq m stepwell, which was uncovered by an ASI team in Chandausi tehsil of the district on December 21, said officials.

Around 210 sq metres of the stepwell could be excavated till Monday evening. “The process will continue for a few more days as around 400 sq metres of the area has to be covered,” said Nitu Rani, sub divisional magistrate, Sambhal.

The upper portion of the stepwell is made of bricks while marble is used in the lower portion.

The administration faces a daunting task of removing encroachments from the stepwell as only 190-200 sq m is free from encroachers. Houses have been constructed on the remaining land of the stepwell, stated the administration.

“Notices will be served to free the stepwell from encroachers,” said Sambhal district magistrate Rajender Pensiya.

Shipra Rani, member of an erstwhile royal family of Sambhal, visited the stepwell on Monday and claimed that the historic water body once belonged to her family. She claimed herself to be the youngest granddaughter of late princess Surendra Bala.

“Surendra Bala was my grandmother and Jagdish Kumar my grandfather. This property (stepwell) belonged to my family and we were legal heir to it. We are five sisters and the entire Laxman Ganj area was once our property, claimed Shipra Rani.

She also claimed that the family was not able to take care of the property and it was sold to a resident of Badaun district. Later, the land adjoining the stepwell was sold by its new owner in small plots, she added.

The excavation follows the reopening of Bhasma Shankar temple in Sambhal on December 13, nearly 46 years after it was reportedly shut down. Authorities said they discovered the structure during an anti-encroachment drive. Two damaged idols were also found inside the well of the temple, they said.

The development comes a month after Sambhal town was rocked by violent protests last month during a court-ordered survey of a mosque that Hindu groups claim was built after demolishing a temple.

The Sambhal DM said he came to know about the stepwell after Kaushal Kishore, a local resident and an office bearer of ‘Sanatan Sewak Sangh’, informed him about the stepwell in a letter on Saturday.

The DM and other officials of the Sambhal administration reached the spot on Sunday morning and resumed excavation work.