By Saurabh Sharma
LUCKNOW, India (Reuters) – In a gesture of reconciliation, two prominent Muslims who experienced fatal riots after the destruction of a mosque in northern India in 1992 plan to attend the rite of laying the foundations of a Hindu temple on Wednesday at the same site. . They said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose Hindu nationalist led the claim of a temple committed to the god King Ram, is expected to be the main guest of the occasion in the city of Ayodhya.
The structure was made imaginable through a verdict that expired last year through the Supreme Court of India that attributed the disputed siege to Hindus, and the planned scale of the two known Muslims underscored a decrease in the animosity among fans of the two devout denominations in one of India. regions of maximum delicate Hindu majority.
“What happened is a thing of the past,” said Iqbal Ansari, one of the Muslim litigants. “I’ve been invited and I think it’s Lord Ram’s wish and I’ll attend.”
Mohammad Sharif, a Muslim revered with one of India’s most important civil awards for performing in the last framework rites not claimed since the riots, told Reuters that he too had won an invitation and sought to be there.
In 1992, a Hindu mafia destroyed the 16th-century Babri mosque on the site, sparking clashes in which some 2,000 people, most commonly Muslims, were killed across the country. Hindus, the site is the birthplace of Lord Ram, a physical incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu.
The area, located about 427 miles southeast of New Delhi, was filled with the sounds of Vedic anthems before the opening ceremony.
Barricades have been erected throughout the city with a strong police presence, as the government conducts a check to restrict the number of visitors to a social distance. At least two local priests and four police officers tested positive for COVID-19.
However, nearly two hundred more people are likely to attend the event, adding 135 saints and priests from Nepal.
(Reporting through Krishna N.Das; Edited through Shri Navaratnam)