In Ayodhya, A Mix of Indifference and Fervour

Amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram” and calls for starting the construction of temple and a sea of saffron flags, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) Dharma Sabha concluded in the temple town of Ayodhya on a peaceful note last Sunday.

Among those who had been bussed in by the RSS/VHP from different districts of Uttar Pradesh, as also among local residents, there was a mixed feeling. Some were enthusiastic while others were indifferent.

Ritesh Kumar Chaursaiya, 22, a student from the Chapra district in Bihar, who came to attend the Dharma Sabha says he will leave Ayodhya only after construction of the temple is completed.

“If I have come from so far, then I will leave with the results. I have not come here to listen to the pravachans (preachings) of saints, I have come here to help my Hindu brothers in constructing the temple. If asked by the Dharma Sabha, we will make the temple within a few hours. No one will be able to stop us,” he says.

Chaurasia further says it has been 26 years and if temple is not made now, then it will never be made.

Local resident Rajesh Thakur, 31, who runs a big prasad shop at Naya Ghat on the bank of Saryu river, says that people of Ayodhya are now used to such protests and gatherings.

“We very well know that nothing is going to happen, because there will be no agenda for political parties once the temple is constructed. Such protests, Dharma Sabhas keeps on happening in Ayodhya,” he says.

Dhruv Prasad Chaurasia, 53, a retired headmaster, who came from Azamgarh, told this reporter that he has come from his village in a bus booked by VHP for coming to Dharma Sabha but he is not at all interested in listening to the saints.

“They (saints) say the same things everyday and it is better to visit temples and other locations in Ayodhya. Many people from my village have gone sightseeing and will return when the bus to our district returns,” he says, loudly chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in a sarcastic tone.

Muslims Have Left Ayodhya Temporarily

Citing fear, Muslims living in Alamganj Katra area, which falls under the Ram Janmabhoomi police station, have temporarily migrated from Ayodhya.

Mohammad Nabi, 38, a tailor from the area, told Newsclick that he had sent his wife and mother to his relative’s house in Gorakhpur district.

“First they came for the mosque and later they indulged in violence which resulted in the loss of life of both the communities. We do not want anything like that this time. It is better to leave Ayodhya till things gets settled,” he says.

Another resident, Alam Khan, says he has no problem with the locals and there is a great communal harmony in Ayodhya, but people coming from outside in great numbers can do anything.

“We live like brothers here, but no one knows who is coming into Ayodhya with what intention. Yes, the Muslim community in Ayodhya is fearful because the situation is becoming very much like that of 1991 (prior to the demolition of the Babri Mosque),” he says.

Meanwhile, Iqbal Ansari, the main petitioner in the Ayodhya demolition case claimed that around 3,500 people from the Muslim community had fled Ayodhya to nearby places due to fear.

Zafaryab Jilani, convener of the Babri Masjid Action Committee, in a letter said Muslims in Ayodhya were disturbed and were feeling unsafe due to the demonstrations of November 24 and 25, and December 6, and alleged that the  political leadership of the state was colluding with the demonstrators.

Pradyumn Singh, station house officer, Ram Janmabhoomi police station, said the police had not received any complaint of Muslims fleeing the area, adding that around seven to eight families had gone to their relatives homes outside Ayodhya.

On being asked about the spike in the number of people coming to Ayodhya, he said that was due to the festive season and Kartik Mela, which is held every year.

According to the 2011 census, the Ayodhya Nagar Palika Parishad has a population of 55,890 people, of which 6.19% are Muslims.