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Babri
verdict: Plans afoot to deal with law and order
With the verdict in the Ayodhya case expected to be pronounced next
month, the district administration is now busy with finalising plans
to deal with any law and order problem in the district. Civil and
police officials are meeting for
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Lucknow:
The Uttar Pradesh government has sought 35,000 paramilitary
personnel as part of its contingency planning ahead of the
much-awaited verdict in the volatile 125-year-old
Ramjanmbhoomi-Babri Masjid case.
A three-judge special bench of the
Allahabad High Court, which concluded its hearing in the long
pending case last month, will announce its verdict Sep 17.
Before the high court are three fundamental questions: Is the
disputed spot in Ayodhya the birthplace of Lord Ram? Was the Babri
mosque built after the demolition of a temple? Was the mosque in
question built in accordance with the tenets of Islam?
The dispute led to the demolition of the 16th century Babri Masjid
by radical Hindu activists in December 1992, triggering widespread
communal violence.
Fearing that the verdict could prompt further trouble, Chief
Minister Mayawati Monday evening met Governor B.L. Joshi to discuss
the issue.
"The chief minister apprised the governor of the request that the
state had moved the union home ministry for 400 companies of central
paramilitary forces across the entire state," a top state official
told IANS. This was apart from the state police and PAC (provincial
armed constabulary) deployment.
"We cannot take any chances. We must have sufficient precautionary
measures in place to prevent mischief-mongers from inciting
trouble," the official added.
While there will be heavy deployment of security personnel in and
around the twin towns of Ayodhya and Faizabad, central forces would
also be kept in readiness in all other communally sensitive cities
and towns of the state, the country's most populous.
Besides Ayodhya-Faizabad, vigil will also be mounted before the
verdict in towns such as Varanasi, Mathura, Lucknow, Kanpur, Gonda,
Bahraich, Allahabad, Aligarh, Moradabad and Meerut.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting of administrative and
police officials presided over by Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar
Singh here Tuesday.
"While it is most unlikely that anyone would be able to take the
issue to the hype it got in December 1992, when violent Hindu
karsewaks stormed and pulled down the Babri Mosque in Ayodhya, we
cannot ignore how certain groups have, of late, started raising the
Ram temple pitch," a high ranking official observed.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) chief Ashok Singhal, who played a
prominent role in heightening tensions, has termed as "uncalled for"
the government's decision to beef up security.
"The government is creating tension through such proposed elaborate
security arrangements. I do not see any cause for tension as the
temple has to be built there."
He refused to contemplate a situation where the verdict would go
against the Hindu claim of believing the disputed Ayodhya site as
the birthplace of Hindu warrior god.
While the high court will determine the key issues relating to right
over the disputed property, the case relating to the demolition of
the mosque has been pending before a separate special Central Bureau
of Investigation (CBI) court in Lucknow.
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