Ayodhya: D-day today
PTI
LUCKNOW, SEPT 29
India waits anxiously as the 3-judge Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court will deliver its judgement tomorrow on the 60-year-old Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue, amidst worries about the fall-out of the verdict.
Security was ramped up across the country and leaders cutting across political and religious spectrum appealed for calm on the eve of the verdict on four title suits on the ownership of the 2.7 acre land, the dispute over which changed the course of politics in the last two decades.
With Supreme Court clearing hurdles, the verdict by the 3-Judge bench consisting of Justices S U Khan, Justices Sudhir Agarwal and Justice D V Sharma will be delivered at 15.30 hours tomorrow and the court has been turned into a virtually impregnable fortress having been declared as a “no access zone”.
The first suit in the case was filed 60 years ago by a Hindu seeking right to worship. After twists and turns the UP Central Sunni Board of Waqfs moved to file a claim in 1961 followed by another civil suit in 1989 in the name of Lord Ram for declaration and possession of the Masjid complex.
All the cases were transferred from a Faizabad court in 1989 to a special bench of the High Court.
As the issue was hanging fire, the BJP and Sangh Parivar outfits mounted a campaign for building Ram temple in Ayodhya at the dispute site claiming it was his birth place.
The campaign reached a crescendo in 1992 when the 500-year-old Babri Masjid was razed to the ground.
BJP came to power in 1998 but the party has not been able to script a success since the 2004 elections and observers believe the Ayodhya issue may have lost its steam down the years.
However, not leaving anything to chance Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Home Minister P Chidambaram appealed to the people to accept the verdict and maintain peace and tranquility.
They stressed that no attempt should be made by any section of the people to provoke another section after the verdict. Leaders felt that tomorrow’s verdict was not the final word as legal process was still available to parties to approach the Supreme Court.
The BJP also made it clear that they respect the judicial process and want peace and calm.
Chidambaram summed up the situation saying India has “moved on since 1992” and the country’s young people have recognised that India story is much more than a dispute over a religious place.
“The Central government has taken adequate measures and has deployed adequate security forces all over the country in order to assist the state governments to maintain law, order and peace,” he told a press conference.
Chidambaram said around 1.90 lakh security personnel have been deployed in Uttar Pradesh which he felt was more than enough to maintain law and order.
Only persons related to the title suit will be allowed entry in Court No. 21 and no exit from the room are permitted till the verdict has been delivered, Lucknow District Magistrate Anil Kumar Sagar said here.
Security was also beefed up in the rest of the country and reinforcements tightened in and around the disputed site in Uttar Pradesh, which has been placed under high alert.
Intensive searches were being carried out in the twin towns on Ayodhya and Faizabad and security personnel deployed there have been equipped with tear gas shells and rubber bullets. Intelligence units have also been put on high alert to monitor movement and activities of anti-social elements.
As a preventive measure, aerial survey, including at night, of sensitive places, including Ram Janmabhoomi complex in Ayodhya has been done, a senior official said in Lucknow.
A heavy reinforcement of CRPF personnel has been deployed in and around the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. Security of the three judges on the bench has already been beefed up.
Borders with adjoining Nepal and Uttarakhand have been sealed and a strict vigil was being maintained on all those coming to the State from these sides. As a preventive measure, liquor and firecrackers shops would remain closed tomorrow.
The Centre has kept forces in readiness at 16 places for quick deployment, including by helicopters and heavy lift aircraft like IL-76 and An-32.
The Home Ministry has issued an advisory to States and Union Territories to keep the forces on high alert as the judgement could trigger “sharp reactions”.
An alert has been sounded in Jammu to maintain peace, communal harmony and law and order. Peace committees of various religions have been set up in the districts to maintain harmony.
Rajasthan Police alerted senior officers in all the 33 districts to ensure public order, peace and harmony.
Internal security has been beefed up and intelligence agencies have been alerted to avert crisis or meet any exigency that may arise after the verdict, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Navdeep Singh said.
