Babri mosque anniversary: 'Day of victory' vs 'day of sorrow'
VHP has said the Ram Temple in Ayodhya should be built through an act of Parliament.
Faizabad: Muslim groups observed 'day of sorrow' while Hindu outfits celebrated 'shaurya divas' on the 23rd anniversary of Babri mosque demolition on Sunday, which passed off peacefully amid tight security in Ayodhya, as well as in other parts of the country. Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) observed the day as 'Yaum-e-Gham' (day of sorrow) while VHP observed 'shaurya divas' (day of victory). On the occasion, Uttar Pradesh's Additional Advocate General Zafaryab Jilani, who is also a BMAC member, said that the battle for Babri mosque is being supported and fought by Hindus. "The case of Babri mosque is being pleaded in Supreme Court by a group of eminent lawyers who are members of Hindu community," Jilani said in Ayodhya.
"We are fighting the legal and political battle of Babri mosque on the support of 90 per cent of secular Hindus of the country," he said. Muslims in the twin town of Ayodhya-Faizabad observed black Sunday. Incidentally, the mosque was razed on a Sunday on December 6, 1992. People of the Muslim community did not open their shops and hoisted black flags to protest against the demolition of Babri mosque. Indian Union Muslim League observed a 'dharna' outside SSP office in Faizabad.
Meanwhile in Delhi, members of Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Sunday pledged to work for early construction of Ram Temple at Ayodhya as they marked the day as 'Shaurya Diwas'. VHP Delhi President Rampal Singh said the temple should be built through an act of Parliament. "Trusting the judicial system, Hindus waited for 60 years from 1950 till 2010. But now the Hindu community wants the temple to be built throgh an act of Parliament on the lines of Somnath Temple," Singh said.
In Punjab, activists of Shiv Sena observed the anniversary as 'Shourya Divas' by holding a function in a local temple in Phagwara. In Hyderabad, a bandh called by All India Majlis-e- Ittehad-ul Muslimeen and other local outfits passed off peacefully and no untoward incident was reported in the city, police said.