The Gauri Shankar Temple in Moradabad, which had been closed for forty-four years, reopened on December 30, 2024, following Sambhal, Kashi and Kanpur. The government found the broken idols of Shivling, Nandi and Hanumanji during an excavation on Monday.

The temple had been shut down following the 1980 riots, during which the priest was killed, and the idols were vandalised by a Muslim mob. Seven days ago, the late priest’s grandson submitted an application to Moradabad DM Anuj Singh, requesting the temple’s reopening. The local residents also held a demonstration at the collectorate, demanding the temple be restored and reopened. The police and administration team had earlier visited Jhabbu ka Nala Mohalla, a Muslim-majority area in Nagfani, where a temple was later discovered.

Following this, District Magistrate (DM) Anuj asked Deputy District Magistrate Ram Mohan Meena for a detailed report about the temple. On December 27, the Sub-District Magistrate gathered information from people connected to the temple. It was revealed that a transgender person named Mohini used to clean the temple. It also came to light that some walls were built illegally, making access to the temple difficult. A wall was constructed around the temple's sanctum sanctorum after the 1980 riots. These walls were torn down under tight security on Monday, revealing the temple. On Monday, at approximately 1:30 pm, the idol of Bhagwan Hanuman began to emerge on the temple wall. Although there is a spot for Shivling on the ground, Nandi is positioned close by, but the Shivling is not there. There are now a few more statues on the wall, although they are damaged. According to the authorities, arrangements will be made for the worship of statues and the area will be secured now.

Seva Ram says that his great-grandfather, Bhimsen, used to take care of the temple and perform the puja. However, during the riots of 1980, a Muslim mob allegedly killed Bhimsen, and his body was never found. It is believed that after killing Bhimsen, the mob threw his body into the fire. After this tragic event, Bhimsen's family moved to the Linepar area. Following their relocation, the temple was shut down, and over time, the idols in the temple disappeared. Seva Ram has complained to the District Magistrate (DM), stating that whenever he tries to open the temple, Muslims prevent him from doing so and threaten him with serious consequences if he attempts to open the doors. 

In Moradabad, communal riots broke out in 1980, resulting in at least 83 fatalities and 112 injuries. The Uttar Pradesh government, under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath, presented an inquiry report regarding the 1980 Moradabad riots on August 8, 2023, decades later. The 496-page report submitted by MP Saxena, a judge from the Allahabad High Court, in May 1983, which was kept secret for nearly 40 years, challenges the widely accepted story about the 1980 riots. The report reveals that the violence was not caused by rumours about pigs being released among people offering namaz at the Eidgah in Moradabad. Instead, it explores the deeper causes and how they triggered a chain reaction, ultimately leading to the riots. The report concluded that the violence was the result of a pre-arranged conspiracy involving Muslim League and Congress leaders. It rejected the claim that the incident at Moradabad, where a pig was said to have entered the Eidgah during Eid prayers, was the cause. Instead, the report stated that a group of criminals, backed by Muslim League leaders, were responsible for the massacre.

Local Muslim League officials, commanded by Shamim Ahmad and Hamid Hussain, also known as Ajji and their followers, orchestrated the violence at Moradabad. The investigation places the blame on Dr. Shamim Ahmed Khan's political aspirations, as he attempted to challenge Congress Party member Hafiz Mohammed Siddiqui and resurrect the Indian Union Muslim League in Uttar Pradesh. The report includes detailed accounts from six Hindus who were present during the riots. Interestingly, each account suggests that the massacre was not an act of spontaneity, but rather a planned event. The information shared by these eyewitnesses challenges the common belief that the violence started due to rumours about pigs being released among people offering namaz at the Eidgah in Moradabad.

In 1980, when the Congress Party was in power both at the state and national levels, the political situation in Moradabad was such that Dr Shamim Ahmed Khan had revived the Muslim League and attempted to challenge Hafiz Mohammed Siddiqui of the Congress Party. The local Muslim teenagers, led by Mohammed Riyaz, abducted and gangrapped a Dalit Valmiki community girl who lived in Moradabad's Indira Chowk neighbourhood in March 1980. To clean a building, she had gone. Dr Shamim Ahmed Khan, in an attempt to improve his reputation among Muslims, supported the accused. However, the Moradabad police launched an investigation and, after careful consideration, rescued the Dalit teenager, returning her to her family. The swift action taken by the police angered local Muslims in the area. They became so furious that they began planning to take revenge on both the police and members of the Dalit community.