Nov 12 event in Ayodhya may see a million people as SC verdict nears
LUCKNOW/NEW DELHI: At least one million devotees are likely to descend on Ayodhya for a Hindu religious event next Tuesday around the same time the Supreme Court is expected to deliver its verdict on the Ram Janmabhoomi-babri Masjid title dispute, sparking security concerns ahead of the culmination of one of India’s most communally sensitive court cases.
The district administration has deployed additional security forces, clamped prohibitory orders on large gatherings, and is keeping a close watch on social media posts. Top Hindu and Muslim leaders have appealed for calm, and in a meeting at the residence of Union minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Tuesday, urged all sections of society to respect the court’s verdict.
“Unity in diversity is our cultural commitment…now that we have had this meeting, I am sure the nation will accept the verdict with peace and harmony,” Naqvi told the attendees, who included Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) joint secretary Krishna Gopal, former BJP organising secretary Ram Lal, Jamiat Ulema-e-hind general secretary Mahmood Madani, former MP Shahid Siddiqui and All India Muslim Personal Law Board member Kamal Farooqui.
Both the BJP and the RSS have asked their leaders and cadre to maintain calm and refrain from either making inflammatory or emotive speeches in the wake of the verdict, which follows a 40-day hearing that concluded on October 16. The verdict is expected before CJI Ranjan Gogoi retires on November 17.
BJP and RSS have also been cautioned against large-scale celebrations. Senior BJP leader
Shahnawaz Hussain said the people who attended Tuesday’s meeting agreed that all efforts should be made to ensure no one tries to disrupt peace or vitiate the atmosphere.
A five-judge Constitution bench is considering petitions challenging the 2010 Allahabad high court judgment that divided the disputed 2.77 acre plot in Ayodhya between the Nirmohi Akhara, a religious denomination, the Sunni Central Waqf Board and representatives of Ram Lalla, the child deity. Arguments in the case ended on October 16 after 40 days of hearing.
The holy event of Kartik Purnima falls on Tuesday, when devotees will take a dip in the river Sarayu. Last year, the police said at least 800,000 people visited Ayodhya for the event. It usually takes around 24 hours for the crowds to disperse, but large numbers of devotees stay back for several days in the town, which is seen as holy because it is considered the birthplace of the Hindu warrior-god Ram.