India’s Modi Inaugurates Ram Temple At Destroyed Babri Mosque Site

IQNA – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a Hindu temple on Monday at a site where a 16th-century mosque was demolished by a Hindu mob in 1992 which sparked deadly riots across the country.

The temple, dedicated to the god Ram, is being built in the northern city of Ayodhya, which many Hindus believe is his birthplace. The event was attended by about 7,000 people, including politicians, industrialists and religious leaders.

Modi, who is seeking a third term in office in the national elections due in March-May, performed a ritual to consecrate the temple, which is still under construction.

The temple’s inauguration has been hailed by Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its Hindu nationalist allies as a historic achievement, fulfilling one of their core promises. They claim that the mosque, known as the Babri Masjid, was built by the Mughal king Babur after destroying a temple that stood at the site.

However, the temple’s construction has also been marred by controversy and violence, as it has deepened the religious divide between Hindus and Muslims.

The demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992 by a Hindu mob, who were egged on by BJP leaders, triggered riots that killed about 2,000 people, mostly Muslims. The site remained disputed for decades, with both communities filing lawsuits to claim ownership.

In 2019, India’s Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Hindus, and ordered the government to set up a trust to oversee the temple’s construction. The court also allotted a separate plot of land for Muslims to build a new mosque elsewhere in Ayodhya.

The verdict was welcomed by some as a way to end the long-standing dispute, but criticised by others as a blow to India’s secular and democratic principles. Some Muslims have also expressed fear and resentment over the temple’s inauguration, and have stayed away from the celebrations.

The temple’s inauguration comes amid a surge of Hindu nationalism in India under Modi’s rule, which has been accused of marginalising and discriminating against Muslims and other minorities. Modi’s government has also faced criticism for revoking the autonomy of Jammu and Kashmir, India’s only Muslim-majority state, in 2019, and for passing a controversial citizenship law that excludes Muslims from neighbouring countries.

Source: Agencies