Centre Issues Security Alert to States ahead of the Ayodhya Verdict
The Ram Janma Bhumi -Babri Masjid dispute involves 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya, which according to right-wing activists was the birthplace of Lord Ram.
Home Ministry has alerted all the states and union territories to remain vigilant ahead of the upcoming Supreme Court judgment on the Ram Janma Bhumi -Babri Masjid title suitcase.
The Ministry of Home Affairs also has issued an advisory about the posting of adequate security forces at sensitive places and has asked the governments to ensure ‘no untoward incident takes place anywhere’, following the verdict.
“A general advisory has been sent to all states and union territories asking them to deploy adequate security personnel in all sensitive places and ensure that no untoward incident takes place anywhere in the country”, said a senior Home Ministry official.
The Ram Janma Bhumi -Babri Masjid dispute involves 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya, which according to right-wing activists was the birthplace of Lord Ram. A 16th Century mosque is said to have been built later by the Mughal Emperor Babur, which stood at the same spot which was razed in December 1992 by right-wing activists. In the days that followed, more than 2,000 people died in communal riots across the country.
In August, after the failure of the mediation process, the Supreme Court’s Constitution Bench conducted daily hearings and is expected to deliver the historic verdict before November 17, when Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi retires.
The Uttar Pradesh government has already banned the assembly of more than four people in Ayodhya till the end of December in view of the upcoming verdict. They have kept an eye on every movement including monitoring of the social media. State Police Chief OP Singh has also announced that those who are found instigating violence will be charged under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
In the state, in order to maintain law and order, 12,000 police personnel have been deployed. The Ayodhya police have also launched a mobile application through which they will monitor the ground situation with the help of around 16,000 volunteers.
As a precautionary measure, the centre has sent 4,000 paramilitary soldiers to Uttar Pradesh and more forces are expected to reach the place in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi met the leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Muslim clerics and stressed that peace should be maintained under any circumstance.
So far fourteen appeals have been filed in the Supreme Court that the 2.77-acre disputed land be divided equally among the three parties - Ram Lalla, the Sunni Waqf Board and the Nirmohi Akhara.