Lucknow, December 6
The 10th anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, which coincided with Id festival, passed off peacefully today with no major untoward incident reported from anywhere in the state.
The main opposition party in the state, the Samajwadi Party, observed a “black day”. While many Muslim organisations staged dharnas in different parts of the state, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and its frontal organisation, the Bajrang Dal, organised ‘shaurya diwas’.
The focus of the state administration, however, was on Ayodhya where heavy police deployment was made to ensure that no “unwanted” people could enter the Ram Janmabhoomi complex.
“Everything is normal. Vehicles are plying on the roads but the business establishments of minority community are closed,” Faizabad SSP Prashant Kumar told this reporter on telephone from Faizabad.
The Principal Secretary (Home), Mr Pradeep Kumar, said all sensitive and hyper-sensitive cities like Kashi, Mathura and Ayodhya were peaceful. “No untoward incident has been reported from anywhere,” he said.
Following intelligence report of attack on religious places, security was also beefed up in mosques in the temple town. Surveillance was intensified in and around Mathura and Kashi shrines, he said.
