Babri masjid: Ayodhya gears up for unrest as Hindu extremists to take up temple issue

Ayodhya: Uttar Pradesh's Ayodhya is headed for a tense weekend with two major events to push for the construction of controversial Ram temple slated for Sunday.

Faizabad district administration has imposed prohibitory orders (Section 144) in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Majid premises, a senior officer said.

The first event will be by the Right-wing party, Shiv Sena, whose chief Uddhav Thackrey will be in Ayodhya today for a two-day visit. The Sena chief will offer prayers at the Ram janmabhoomi, participate in the aarti and will speak to saints and people there. Thackrey is also carrying a pot full of soil from the Shivneri fort in Pune, which will be handed to over the priest at the janmabhoomi.

The other and bigger event will be a "dharna sansad" organised by the another Hindu extremist party Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday. The VHP claims that it will be the biggest congregation of saints and supporters of the Ram temple since 1992 when the Babri Masjid was razed. The agenda is to discuss the way forward for the construction of the Ram temple, the right-wing organisation said. The VHP has been mobilising support for its big event through bike rallies and processions across UP in the last few days.

From top to several mid-level police officers, 160 inspectors, 700 constables, 42 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), five companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF), Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) commandos and drone cameras have been deployed in Ayodhya. There is a CRPF ring around the disputed site, the government has assured.

Muslims in Ayodhya worry about safety, repercussions

Muslims in Ayodhya are apprehensive about their safety and security after the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) claimed it would mobilise over 200,000 people to attend the Dharma Sabha it is organising in the city on Sunday for the construction of a Ram temple on a disputed site .

In Muslim neighbourhoods of Ayodhya, the only topic of discussion on Friday was the Dharma Sabha and its repercussions, if any, for the holy city.

"The government has assured us security. A large number of paramilitary personnel, along with local police, have been deployed. But we are still worried about our safety," said Arshad Alam, 32, of Alamganj Katra, a Muslim locality. He is hoping the event will be peaceful.

The VHP is at the forefront of the campaign for a Ram temple to be built on the site of the 16th century Babri masjid that was destroyed by mobs in December 1992. The organisation says the site marks the birthplace of the Hindu warrior-god.

Iqbal Ansari, one of the petitioners in the case relating to the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute, recently expressed concern over the security of his family members and the rest of the Muslim community in Ayodhya because of the congregation of a large number of people for the VHP's event. "The Muslim community in Ayodhya is worried about its safety and security. We hope that any untoward incident does not take place in Ayodhya," said Ansari. "The state government and the local administration has also assured us full security. I hope everything passes off peacefully," he said.

Abdul Khalid, 48, of Mughalpura Colony, said: "I hope that the situation does not spiral out on control on Sunday," said Khalid.

The Shiv Sena's 'Ashirwad Sammelan' on Saturday, in which party chief Uddhav Thackeray will take part, has also added to the anxiety of the Muslims, who are preparing to stay indoors for the next two days.