The cleaning of the Wazukhana area of the Gyanvapi Mosque in Varanasi has officially commenced. Under strict security arrangements, district officials have started the cleaning process following the Supreme Court’s approval. Hindu women petitioners had sought direction from the court to clean the entire area of ‘wazukhana’ where an alleged ‘Shivling’ was found. Heavy police deployment can be seen in the vicinity of the mosque. Before entering the mosque, the identities of the cleaning workers are being thoroughly checked. Sudhir Tripathi, a Hindu advocate, expressed his satisfaction with the cleaning process and confirmed that people from both sides will be present during the cleaning. The entire cleaning task will be carried out under the supervision of the District Magistrate. The decision to clean the Wazukhana area was made after a meeting held by the District Magistrate along with representatives from both the Hindu and Muslim sides. The meeting was conducted peacefully, and it was agreed that the cleaning would commence on January 20, as ordered by the court. Subhash Nandan Chaturvedi, an advocate for the Hindu side, highlighted the positive outcome of the meeting and stated that the court had ordered the District Magistrate to oversee the cleaning process. The Gyanvapi mosque management committee expressed its support for the cleaning of the water tank, which had been sealed for nearly two years. The ‘Wazukhana’ is a reservoir where devotees perform ablutions before offering namaz. The cleaning process was initiated due to the presence of a Shivlingam, which holds great significance for Hindus and requires a clean environment. The application submitted to the court mentioned that fishes in the water tank had died, resulting in a foul smell. The cleaning task will be carried out by the district administration of Varanasi, adhering to previous orders from the apex court.