Pakistan raises Ayodhya to cover its treatment of minorities: India at UN

India has accused Pakistan of spreading a “culture of violence” and suppressing the rights of minorities while Islamabad brings up the Ayodhya temple construction at the General Assembly

India has accused Pakistan of spreading a “culture of violence” and suppressing the rights of minorities while Islamabad brings up the Ayodhya temple construction at the General Assembly. “Talk of ‘culture of peace’ from the delegation of Pakistan is nothing but a decoy to divert attention from their own shameful records” on the treatment of minorities “continues to foment a ‘culture of violence’ at home and across its borders”, Paulomi Tripathi, a counsellor at India’s UN Mission said on Thursday.

“Before making absurd allegations against India, where equal rights of people of all faiths are guaranteed by the constitution, the delegation of Pakistan must do itself a favour of looking at their own system and records of protecting minorities,” she said in response to Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Munir Akram’s remarks about Ayodhya and Kashmir.

She accused Akram of exploiting the Assembly’s High-Level Forum on the Culture of Peace as a “platform for hate speech against India”. She said that “Pakistan’s deplorable human rights records and discriminatory treatment of religious and ethnic minorities is a cause of persistent concern for international community”, and listed Islamabad’s main transgressions.

“Blasphemy laws are used against religious minorities such as Hindus, Christians and Sikhs, to violate their human rights and dignity. Women and girls remain particularly vulnerable as they are abducted, raped, forcefully converted and married to their violators. The pandemic has aggravated the situation.”

Sunni Waqf Board-governed trust invites donations for mosque in Ayodhya

The mosque trust has released bank details for donations from a large cross-section of people for constructing a mosque, on the five-acre land in the Dhannipur village in lieu of the Babri mosque

The mosque trust constituted by the Sunni Waqf Board, has released bank details for donations from a large cross-section of people, including non-Muslims for constructing a mosque, hospital, community kitchen and library on the five-acre land in the Dhannipur village in lieu of the Babri mosque. The trust, Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation, has opened two current accounts in two leading private sector banks at branches in Hewett Road and Vibhuti Khand, Gomti Nagar.

Trust secretary, Athar Hussain, said, “We will accept donations from all communities to make the Dhannipur complex a unique example of communal harmony and a centre of healing, teaching and preaching.” He said. “We have decided to create a website and portal of the Trust with a gateway to receive donations as we are receiving numerous calls from those willing to donate,” Funds for the Dhannipur complex will be raised from donations from all communities, he said.

“We expect financial aid from the government too. In fact, a Member of Parliament from Assam, Abdul Khalique, has offered to donate and we are receiving messages from the Muslims and Hindus, who are eager to provide funds for the mosque and other facilities,” he added. The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust that is overseeing Ram temple construction, has already set up bank accounts for donations for the temple construction. The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation was formed with nine members and six more would be made trust members soon. The trust will supervise the construction of the mosque and the complex in Ayodhya..Read More

Security beefed up on UP-Nepal border for Ayodhya bhumi pojan event

The Sashastra Seema Bal and the Uttar Pradesh Police have intensified patrolling along the 551 km-long India-Nepal border, ahead of Prime Minister’s scheduled visit to Ayodhya for Bhumi Puja

The Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Uttar Pradesh Police have intensified patrolling along the 551 km-long India-Nepal border, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Ayodhya for Ram Temple Bhumi Puja on Wednesday. According to senior police officers, a tight vigil is being maintained on movement along the border and people living in villages adjoining the border have been asked to alert security officials if they come across any suspicious activity or element in their area.

The security arrangements across the state, especially in Ayodhya and on the Indo-Nepal border, has been beefed up after intelligence agencies warned of a possible terror attack in August. The Pilibhit police has installed five barriers at different checking points along the 56 km-long Indo-Nepal border in the district to prevent infiltration bid by anti-social elements in the Indian territory. An additional barricade has been erected on the Pilibhit-Lucknow highway for checking of suspicious vehicles.

Deputy inspector general of police, Bareilly range, Rajesh Pandey, who has been camping in Pilibhit for the past three days, said: “I have been monitoring policing during Eid and Raksha Bandhan, but I have also held the string of security and vigilance myself since Tuesday considering the high-profile ceremony in Ayodhya.”

Adityanath reviews security ahead of bhoomi pujan, Ram lalla to don green

Ceremony to mark start of Ram temple construction should be done under Covid-19 protocol, says UP Chief Minister.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath asked senior police and administrative officers to ensure security for the upcoming festivals and the event related to the laying of the foundation stone of Ram Temple in Ayodhya on August 5. Adityanath called for vigilance in districts in view of upcoming Eid-ul-Azha (Bakri Eid), Rakshabandhan, Ayodhya program, Janmashtami and Independence Day. “Ensure security arrangements. Keep a close watch on anti-social elements,” he said in a video conference.

Celebration for the upcoming festivals and Ayodhya program on August 5 should be conducted peacefully in full compliance of Covid-19 protocol, he said. The officials were instructed regarding flood prevention and relief work, sanitation work and steps to be taken to contain the spread of Covid-19. Special arrangements should be made for sanitation in all the districts and uninterrupted power and water supply should also be ensured, the Chief Minister directed in the meeting.

Door-to-door survey and contact tracing should be done expeditiously and take services of NCC, NSS, Ex-servicemen, Civil Defense etc in the containment zones, he added. By ensuring registration of street vendors on a large scale, they should be benefited under the Special Economic Package, Chief Minister Adityanath stated…

Ayodhya's Ram temple to be 161-feet tall, two 'mandaps' added to design

The height of Ayodhya’s Ram temple would be 161-feet, an increase by 20-feet from the previous design, according to Nikhil Sompura, architect and the son of C Sompura, chief architect of the temple

The height of Ayodhya’s grand Ram temple would be 161-feet, an increase by 20-feet from the previous design which was prepared in 1988, according to Nikhil Sompura, architect and the son of C Sompura, chief architect of the temple.

“The earlier design was made in 1988, now over 30 years have passed and so the footfall will increase with time. People are also very enthusiastic about visiting the temple so we thought its size should be increased. In view of this, the height of the Ayodhya ram temple has been increased from 141-feet to 161-feet,” Nikhil Sompura told ANI here.He said that two mandaps’ have been added to the design.

“All pillars and the stones that were carved based on the earlier design will still be used, they will not be wasted. Only two ‘mandaps’ have been added to the design,” he added. Nikhil said that it was a matter of great pride for him and his family that they had been bestowed the honour of designing the temple and said that the shrine will be ready for devotees after 3.5 years.

“Once the ‘bhoomi-pujan’ is done in the presence of the Prime Minister, the construction work will start. The team of L & T, along with machinery and materials, have reached the spot and the work on foundation will start right away. It will take 3 to 3.5 years for the completion of the work,” he said.

PM Oli claims Lord Ram for Nepal, says India created 'fake' Ayodhya

Nepalese leader's statement comes at a time when the two countries are holding back-channel talks after Kathmandu claimed Indian territories of Lipulekh-Kalapani in a new map.

Lord Ram was born in Nepal but India had created a "fake" Ayodhya as his birthplace, said K P Oli, the Himalayan nation’s Prime Minister, on Monday as ties between the two countries come under stress. Oli’s statement, as reported by the Himalayan Times, comes at a time when the two countries are holding back-channel talks after Nepal claimed Indian territories of Lipulekh-Kalapani in a new map released last month. "Balmiki Ashram is in Nepal and the holy place where King Dashrath had executed the rites to get the son is in Ridi. Dashrath's son Ram was not an Indian and Ayodhya is also in Nepal," Oli said.

ALSO READ: China uses corrupt leaders to make inroads into nations like Nepal: Report

Legend says Sita after she was abandoned by Ram, lived in the ashram of sage Valmiki with sons Lav and Kush on the bank of Narayani (Gandak River) along present-day Nepal border with Bihar. The place attracts a large number of pilgrims even today. Oli statement is likely to create a controversy in India, where the Supreme Court last year paved the way for the creation of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, where many Hindus believe the revered figure was born.

Kathmandu partially lifts ban on Indian news channels

Nepal's cable television operators on Monday partially lifted the ban on Indian private news channels. "A few news channels airing objectionable content are still banned in the country," said Dhurba Sharma, vice president of television operators' association...

Ayodhya case: A timeline of the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute

A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court will hear the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case today. Here is a timeline of the case and various key developments in the story so far

BS: A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court has begun hearing the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case today. Let’s take a look at the various important developmennts in the case over the decades leading up to today.

Dome to doom

1528: Mughal emperor Babur constructs a mosque and it is named Babri

December 23, 1949: Lord Ram’s idols are planted inside the central dome. Both sides file court cases; the site is locked

December 17, 1959: The Nirmohi Akhara files a suit seeking possession of the site and claims to be the custodians of the disputed land

December 18, 1961: The Sunni Central Board of Waqf files a suit claiming ownership of the site

1984: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) launches a campaign for the construction of the Ram temple at the Janmabhoomi site

February 1, 1986: Faizabad district court orders the gates of the mosque be opened and Hindus be allowed to worship there. Muslims protest the move and forms Babri Mosque Action Committee

November 9, 1989: VHP lays the foundation of a Ram temple on land next to the Babri Masjid following permission from the then Rajiv Gandhi government

September 25, 1990: Then BJP President L K Advani launches his Rath Yatra from Somnath to Ayodhya. He is arrested in Bihar’s Samastipur in November December 6, 1992: The disputed Babri Mosque is razed to the ground by karsevaks…

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SC to hear Ayodhya title dispute case today: Everything you need to know

How did the Ayodhya land dispute case get to where it is?

Latest News: The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Ayodhya title suit regarding the Babri masjid-Ramjanmabhoomi land dispute would be heard by a five-judge Constitution bench on January 10 (Thursday).

The bench will be led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, with the other four judges being Justices S.A. Bobde, N.V. Ramana, U.U. Lalit and D Y Chandrachud. The Supreme Court began hearing the case in December 2017, when the Allahabad high court decision to split the land three ways was appealed.

In the last week of September 2018, the Supreme Court refused to refer to a five-judge Constitution bench a 24-year-old case – the Ismail Faruqui judgment – that said offering prayers in a mosque is not an “essential feature” of Islam. Justice Ashok Bhushan authored the majority judgment, for himself and then Chief Justice Dipak Misra. Justice S.A. Nazeer was the dissenting judge….

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What the Ismail Faruqui judgment of 1994 was about

The petitioner, Ismail Faruqui, challenged the validity of the Acquisition of Certain Area At Ayodhya Act, 1993, under which 67.703 acres were acquired in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex in Ayodhya.

The Supreme Court held that “any step taken to arrest escalation of communal tension” can “by no stretch of argumentation, be termed non-secular”.

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Supreme Court sets up five judge bench to hear Ayodhya land dispute case

Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justices S A Bobde, N V Ramana, U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud will hear as many as 14 appeals.

Latest News|The Supreme Court Tuesday set up a five-judge Constitution Bench to hear the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid land title dispute case.The bench will be headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and also comprise of Justices S A Bobde, N V Ramana, U U Lalit and D Y Chandrachud.The Constitution Bench is scheduled to hear the matter on January 10.

“Take notice that the following matters (petitions in the Ayodhya land dispute) will be listed on Thursday the 10th January, 2019 at 10.30 AM in Chief Justice’s court before the constitution bench comprising the Chief Justice, S A Bobde, N V Ramana, Uday Umesh Lalit and Dr D Y Chandrchud, JJ,” said a notice, which was uploaded on the apex court website.

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On January 4, the top court had said that further orders in the matter would be passed on January 10 by “the appropriate bench, as may be constituted”. As many as 14 appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgement, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land be partitioned equally among the three parties — the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla.

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The untold story of how the Rama idol surfaced inside Babri Masjid

An excerpt from Krishna Jha and Dhirendra K Jha’s Ayodhya – The Dark Night that uncovers the story of how the mosque had turned into a temple overnight.

The night was almost over. Ayodhya was still numb with sleep. Piercing through the quiet, a young sadhu, drenched in sweat, came scampering from Hanumangarhi, a fortress-like Hindu religious establishment housing over five hundred sadhus in Ayodhya. He had been sent to summon Satyendra Das to his guru, Abhiram Das, who seemed to be breathing his last. Those were the early hours of 3 December 1981, and a curtain was coming down over a few forgotten pages of history.|Latest News

Dharam Das, the other disciple who stayed with Abhiram Das in his one-room tenement, the asan in Hanumangarhi, had asked for him so that they could be with their guru in his last moments. The news did not come as a shock. Satyendra Das had been almost awaiting the moment, since he had known for long that his guru was nearing the end of his journey.

He had been at his bedside the whole day and the signs were not encouraging. Even when he had left Abhiram Das’s asan to get a breather after hours of tending to the terminally ill, he had a premonition that his guru – the man who had led a small band of Hindus to surreptitiously plant the idol of Lord Rama in Babri Masjid on yet another December night three decades ago – might not live long. After he had come away from the bedside, unwilling but tired to the bones, Satyendra Das was restless and unable to sleep. He dreaded the moment, yet knew that someone would knock on his doors with the news any time, and when it came, he responded fast, wrapped a quilt around himself and ran out along with the young sadhu who had come to fetch him.

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