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AYODHYA, India (Reuters) – Under high security, tens of thousands of monks and activists belonging to Hindu nationalist groups began converging Sunday on the Indian city of Ayodhya to demand the construction of a temple. on a religious site litigious.
Supporters of the Hindu nationalist organization Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) prepare flags at the Sunday "Dharma Sabha" or religious congregation organized by the VHP in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh, India, on November 24, 2018. REUTERS / Pawan Kumar
More than 200,000 people are expected near the site where a Hindu mob demolished a 16th-century mosque in 1992, causing deadly religious riots that killed about 2,000 people in one of the worst community violence in India since 1947.
More than 900 additional police and a large number of paramilitaries, including elite commandos, have been stationed in Ayodhya, said Vivek Tripathi, police spokesman for Uttar Pradesh. "We are watching the whole city with surveillance cameras and drones," said Tripathi.
In the run-up to the general elections scheduled for May 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and many Hindu groups affiliated with the BJP have reinforced their demand for a new temple on the disputed site, what most Hindus believe to be. the birthplace of the warrior-god Lord Ram.
Hindu groups indicate that there was a temple before the construction of a mosque by a Muslim ruler in 1528.
"The mosque was a reproach to Hindus and it is unfortunate that we did not build a temple on one of the holiest sites for Hindus," said Sharad Sharma, spokesman for Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). ), or the World Hindu Council, which has close links with the BJP.
Hindus are impatient and the time has come to build a great temple for Lord Ram, Sharma said.
The group convened on Sunday will urge the government to introduce a bill paving the way for a temple, said Bablu Khan, an elected board member of the BJP in Ayodhya.
Hindu and Muslim groups have asked the Supreme Court of India to help solve the problem. The highest court has asked for more time to reach a verdict.
Sharma said the delay had disappointed the Indian-majority Hindu community, which could not wait for a verdict.
The BJP and VHP, along with their parent movement, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, asked the government to issue a decree to build a temple and bypass the Supreme Court.
The heavily fortified site, which resembles a small garrison town, is under the control of the Supreme Court.
Sunday's congregation in Ayodhya will be followed by larger gatherings in New Delhi, the capital of India, Sharma said.
The training of Hindu religious leaders and right-wing political activists also raised questions about the safety of Muslims living in and around Ayodhya.
Zafaryab Jilani, senior official of the All India Muslim Law Law Board, said it was the responsibility of the state administration to ensure the safety of the community.
The administration is ready to protect every individual from the city, said Anil Pathak, chief of Faizabad District, where the city of Ayodhya is located.
Report by Mayank Bhardwaj; Edited by Michael Perry
