Decision on holy site could spark Indian riots
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/09/28/india.ayodhya.backgrounder/?hpt=C2(CNN) -- A court in India is set to rule soon on who owns a small patch of land in Uttar Pradesh, up in the north -- and India is on high alert waiting for the result.
That's because that little patch of land, in a town called Ayodhya, has been sparking religious violence for hundreds of years.
Thousands of people have died in riots across India in the last 20 years over what will stand there -- a Muslim mosque or a Hindu temple.
India's Supreme Court on Tuesday lifted an interim stay on a lawsuit at the center of the case, and the Allahabad High Court is expected to deliver a verdict on September 30, according to CNN-IBN.
Hindus -- the majority in India -- traditionally believe that Ayodhya is the birthplace of Lord Rama, one of that religion's most revered deities. Ayodhya is one of the Hindus' seven sacred cities.
But in the 1500s, the town became part of the Mughal Empire.
A mosque was built in 1528 by the first Mughal emperor, Babur, on the site where Hindus believe Lord Rama was born.
Hindus tried to tear down the Babri Mosque in 1990. They failed, but the mere attempt caused riots that brought down India's government.
Two years later, they tried again and succeeded, pulling apart the 464-year-old mosque with crowbars, other hand tools -- or just their bare hands.
Riots broke out across the country, with Hindus and Muslims targeting each others' holy buildings. More than 2,000 people died in that round of violence.
It was among the worst sectarian bloodletting in the country since India and Pakistan became independent in 1947.
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Raising its security preparedness in the run up to the September 30 High Court verdict in the Ayodhya land suits, the Centre is keeping Indian Air Force’s medium and heavy transport aircraft, the AN-32 and the IL-76, ready at eight select locations in order to be able to move paramilitary forces in case of trouble.
As per sources, dedicated companies of paramilitary forces are being kept ready at 16 locations across the country. All of these locations, sources said, were located in proximity of airports and would enable forces to be airborne at short notice.
The Centre has identified a total 32 locations where it is apprehending trouble following the verdict.
Meanwhile, ahead of the Commonwealth Games and the Ayodhya verdict, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) has quietly put into place a 24-hour news monitoring centre. Senior PIB officials will man the centre day and night until the Games conclude.
“The 24-hour centre has been set up to monitor the news flow and to correct information being disseminated if necessary or even respond faster to news. While this quick response format was being considered for a while now as part of an emergency and crisis management system, it was decided to start it off this week onwards as both the Ayodhya judgment and the Commonwealth Games are imminent,” Principal DG Neelam Kapoor said.
Having already banned bulk SMS and MMS services till September 30, the government is also mulling further extension of the ban for a few more days. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Monday held a meeting with top officials of his ministry and took stock of the security preparations.
In Lucknow, UP Chief Minister Mayawati held an emergency meeting of police and administrative officials to review the law and order situation. The CM also appealed to the people to maintain calm and communal harmony.
The Lucknow district administration has also ordered the city’s fireworks shops to remain closed from September 29 onwards, while all liquor shops will remain closed on September 30.
Elsewhere in the country, particularly Gujarat and Maharashtra, police have been put on alert.
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/ayodhya-planes-forces-on-standby-news-centre-in-place-centre-up-wait/689729/
Topic: Indian Air Force getting ready for Hindu-Muslim riots (Read 1023 times)