Security has been intensified in Ayodhya township of Uttar Pradesh with two events lined up over the weekend to give a push to the construction of the Ram Temple sparking off tension in the communally sensitive region.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will arrive in the town on Saturday for a two-day visit which includes offering prayers at the Ram Janmabhoomi and participation in the ‘aarti’ by the Sarayu river. He will also speak to saints and locals and is carrying a pot full of soil from Shivneri fort in Pune, which will be handed over to the mahant or priest at the janmabhoomi.
This will be followed by a bigger event–the ‘dharma sansad’–organised by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Sunday. The organisation says it will be the biggest congregation of saints and supporters of the Ram temple since 1992 when the Babri Masjid was razed. The agenda is to discuss the way forward for the construction of the Ram temple, the right wing organisation says.
The VHP has been mobilising support for its big event through bike rallies and processions across UP in the past few days.
The event has also caused tension in the area with a clash already reported from Mirzapur. Because of the events linked up Muslim litigants in the Ayodhya title suit have sought more security. But the VHP has claimed that the event will be peaceful and is not aimed at creating communal tension.
Supervised by senior police officials, 160 inspectors, 700 constables, 42 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), five companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF), Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) commandos and drone cameras have been deployed in Ayodhya. Besides, a CRPF ring has been thrown around the disputed site.
