India’s BJP calls for building temple at disputed site

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA

The head of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday called for building a Hindu temple at the site, where 16th century Babri Mosque had once existed, local media reported.

“BJP wants Ram Mandir [temple] to be constructed at the earliest. We are trying in the Supreme Court that the case reaches its conclusion,” Amit Shah told the party’s National Executive Council’s meeting, also attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to The Indian Express, a local daily.

Shah’s remarks came a day after the Indian Supreme Court deferred hearing of the case on the decades-old Babri Mosque dispute between Muslims and Hindus as one of the five judges recused himself from hearing the case.

In December 1992, Hindus gathered at the disputed site and destroyed the 16th-century mosque named after Mughal Emperor Babur. The destruction sparked nationwide riots that left around 2,000 people dead.

The dispute between Hindus and Muslims has resulted in thousands of deaths over the years.

Muslims demand a new mosque at the site, while Hindus claim that this was where their god Ram was born, demanding instead a temple at the site.

Babri Mosque dispute

The Babri Mosque is said to have been built by Mughal Emperor Babur in 1526.

In 1885, a Hindu religious body filed a case in Faizabad court asking for permission to construct a temple to honor Ram inside the premises of the Babri Mosque. The permission was denied.

In 1949, a group of Hindus entered the premises of the mosque and installed an idol of Ram there. The idol was not removed and it was locked by the administration. However, an official and a Hindu priest were given charge to look after the place.

In 1986, the district administration of Faizabad, under which Ayodhya city comes, opened the premises to Hindus, allowing them to carry out their rituals.

The situation remained calm until December 1992, when thousands of activists belonging to extremist Hindu groups and political parties along with BJP leaders entered Babri Mosque and demolished it.

The case over the dispute has been languishing in India’s legal system for years without any final outcome.