Authorities have tightened security restrictions in the northern Indian flashpoint city of Ayodhya ahead of a crucial Supreme Court ruling over the disputed site fiercely contested between Hindus and Muslims.
Hindus and Muslims have for decades been bitterly divided over the 16th-century Babri mosque in Ayodhya, a city in Uttar Pradash state. Tensions boiled over in 1992 when Hindu zealots destroyed the mosque, sparking religious violence that killed 2,000 people.
Here is the order under section 144 issued yesterday. The order has been issued considering safety and security of Ayodhya and those visiting here as Govt’s paramount concerns. Thanks. pic.twitter.com/hyXHJHWJbv
— Anuj Kr Jha (@anujias09) October 13, 2019
The Supreme Court is expected to conclude on October 17 hearings into appeals against a key 2010 court ruling that both groups should split the site, with Hindus granted the lion’s share.
The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its ruling before Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi retires on November 17.
The restrictions under section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure prohibiting more than four people to assemble were first imposed on August 31, Ayodhya’s district magistrate Anuj K. Jha said Sunday, but were tightened further on Saturday.
“The order has been issued considering safety and security of Ayodhya and those visiting here as Govt’s paramount concerns,” Jha tweeted late Sunday.
Breaking News –#Section144 imposed till December 10 across Ayodhya, Media organisations, news channels will not be given permission for shows, debates or public gatherings during this period.
District Magistrate Anuj Kumar Jha.— Girish Bharadwaj (@Girishvhp) October 13, 2019
The new orders said that “drones, unmanned aerial vehicle, unknown flying objects or anything that can be weaponised are banned without prior permission from district authorities”.
Read more: Ayodhya: the history of a 500-year-old land dispute between Hindus and Muslims in India
The district also banned firecrackers popular during this time of the year when Hindus mark several major religious festivals, some involving Hindu deity Ram who they believe was born in Ayodhya.
The orders will be in place till December 10. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its ruling before Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi retires on November 17.
Many Hindus believe the medieval mosque that stood there for 460 years was only built after the destruction of an earlier temple. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party has campaigned on constructing a new temple on the site of the razed mosque.
AFP with additional input by GVS News Desk.