THE 27th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition on Friday remained a low-key affair with both Hindu and Muslim religious leaders downplaying the occasion amid tight security measures, less than a month after the Supreme Court’s verdict in the land dispute case.

 

Police personnel stands guard during the tight security set-up on Babri Masjid demolition anniversary in Ayodhya on Friday. (ANI) 

 

In the early hours of the day, life went on as normal in different parts of the city with schoolchildren and morning walkers taking to streets and businesses opening at their usual time.

 

While Right-wing Hindu organisations in the past ‘celebrated’ the day when a mob had pulled down the mosque on the disputed site in 1992, this year the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has decided against observing

‘Shaurya Divas’.

 

Senior priest of Hanumangarhi temple Raju Das told PTI that the day should now be marked as the ‘day of amity’.

The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has said that while the anniversary of the historic mosque’s demolition by a mob was a day of mourning for Muslims, it was “up to individuals” if they wanted to observe the ‘yaum-e-gham’ or the ‘day of sorrow’.

 

At the Jama Masjid Malik Shah here, children were seen reading the Quran under the guidance of Haji Ismail Ansari, even as a poster with a picture of Babri Masjid hung on a wall.

 

Mohammed Shahzad Raeen, a poultry dealer, said there was no problem among Hindu and Muslim residents of Ayodhya who have been peacefully living for generations.

 

Around 150 Muslims attended Friday prayers at the Terhi Bazaar mosque in the vicinity of the Ramjanmabhoomi police station in the afternoon.

 

In the speech before the prayers, Maulana Shafique Alam said, “December 6 is a day of mourning for us.”

He welcomed the decision of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board to go for a review petition against the Supreme Court’s November 9 verdict.

 

The Maulana asked the people to demand their rights and remember ‘Khuda’ (God). The Terhi Bazaar mosque is almost 200-year-old, Shafique Alam said, adding that 40-50 Muslim families lived in its vicinity.

 

People from different age groups turned up at the mosque to offer prayers amidst tight security. At a primary school in Ranopalli area, classes were held in a regular manner. Police personnel kept an eye on activities to prevent any law and order situation. The security arrangements in the city are similar to that put in place ahead of the Supreme Court’s November 9 verdict in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land dispute case, a senior police officer said.