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| Sunday, 8 December 2002 |
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No violence in Indian mosque demolition anniversary By Sharat Pradhan AYODHYA, India, Dec 6 (Reuters) - The 10th anniversary of the destruction of a disputed mosque passed off peacefully in India on Friday, without the religious violence and militant attacks that authorities across the country had feared. Police said they had taken extra precautions this year because the date coincided with the Muslim festival of Eid al-Fitr and came just before elections in the western state of Gujarat, where more than 1,000 people died in religious riots this year. Hindu mobs razed the 16th century Babri mosque in Ayodhya in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh in 1992 claiming that it had been built after Muslim invaders demolished a temple to god-king Ram at the site where Hindus believe he was born. The event triggered bloody Hindu-Muslim clashes across the country in which more than 3,000 people were killed and property was destroyed. Police in Ayodhya and neighbouring Faizabad checked all vehicles entering the twin towns to prevent disturbances during special Eid prayers. "The day has passed off peacefully. There has been no untoward incident anywhere," R. M. Srivastav, a senior provincial bureaucrat, told Reuters. "We have not allowed normal life to be disrupted." A few thousand Muslims offered special prayers to mark the end of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. "We don't want any trouble. So we have not organised any rallies or demonstrations this year," said one Muslim man, who did not want to reveal his name. MAKESHIFT TEMPLE Some 2,000 armed policemen guarded the makeshift temple of Ram, which now stands on the debris of the razed mosque. The dispute over the site has dragged on for years in Indian courts which have banned any construction activity till they settle the issue. In Gujarat's main city of Ahmedabad, the hardline Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) held two meetings in Hindu areas. "The Ayodhya movement has brought together Hindu society," VHP President Ashok Singhal told a gathering of about 2,000 people. "We will build the temple and will continue to fight all forces opposing it." India's financial hub Bombay was also on high alert after two people were killed in a bomb blast on a bus this week. An explosion at a Bombay McDonald's restaurant on Friday, which hurt 17 people, was blamed on a faulty air-conditioning duct. Some Muslims said they would not celebrate Eid this year as it coincided with the anniversary of the mosque's demolition. But many defied calls not to celebrate the festival, offering prayers in large numbers since daybreak. "We Muslims only want one thing," said Mohammed M. Razvi, chief cleric of the Gol Masjid mosque in south Bombay. "A mosque should be built on the same spot where the Babri mosque stood." |
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