New Delhi, March 13 -- Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has invoked Vedic scriptures to buttress his claims that Sambhal is mentioned in 5,000-year-old and the place predates Islam. The chief minister's remarks come amid the controversy over the survey of a medieval-century mosque in Sambhal town of Uttar Pradesh, which witnessed violence in November last year.

"Sambhal is a teerth (pilgrimage) site and has been mentioned in scriptures that are 5,000 years old. Puranas contain references to Lord Vishnu's future incarnation. It is said in Puranas that the 10th avatar of Lord Vishnu would take birth in Sambhal. Islam, on the other hand, emerged only 1,400 years ago. I am talking about something that predates Islam by at least 2...