Bengaluru, Aug 4: Police barricades, yellow banners, walls with a fresh coat of paint and the sounds of bhajan mark parts of Ayodhya as the city awaits its big day Wednesday, when the first brick will be laid for the Ram temple.
Ayodhya is decked up for the bhoomi pujan that will be attended at the Ram Janmabhoomi by 175 people, who figure in a select guest list of seers and politicians topped by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Concerned over the spread of coronavirus, the authorities are encouraging others not to come to the temple town, asking them to mark the occasion by celebrating at their homes. The groundbreaking ceremony will be telecast live.
Roads leading to Ayodhya display hoardings with the picture of the proposed Ram temple and of Ram Lalla, the infant Ram, the deity now housed in a makeshift temple.
Around the town’s Hanumangarhi area – named after a well-known temple which Modi will visit on Wednesday – both police sirens and ‘bhajans’ in praise of Ram are heard.
Most of the shops in the locality wear a new look, with their fronts painted in bright yellow. A large number of policemen were deployed there on Tuesday. Some sat in the sweet shops, waiting for their next instructions.
Roads leading into the area are barricaded. Yards of yellow cloth and marigold garlands were being hung on poles.
Even on the day before the event, security checks on vehicles heading to Ayodhya begin from adjoining Barabanki district itself on the Lucknow-Ayodhya road. Policemen take down details, including mobile numbers of the travellers.
Senior Superintendent of Police Deepak Kumar said the focus of the force is on maintaining the Covid-19 protocol.
“So we are not going to allow any outsider to enter Ayodhya city,” he said. Prohibitory orders are also in force and not more than four people will be allowed to gather.
“The markets and shops will remain open but with strict adherence to the Covid protocol,” he said. Outsiders will be stopped from entering the city, but Ayodhya residents will be allowed in if they produce any identification document.
“We are also carrying out random checks on people living in Ayodhya to ensure that no outsiders are staying here,” he said.
The city’s temples and mosques will remain open, but no other religious event – except for the bhoomi pujan – will take place on Wednesday.
Pickets have been set up at sensitive points in the city.
Sub-inspector Ram Chandra Yadav and constables Avnish Kumar and Ankit Chaudhary man the Terhi Bazar Chauraha picket near the Ram Janmabhoomi site.
"We are here for the past some days, and were on duty on the Rakshabandhan day. Duty comes first and only after that come other things in life, like festivals," Yadav said.
Mayank Gupta, who runs a restaurant, was handing out food packets to policemen, his customers.
"For the last two months, I have been providing tiffin to them twice a day. There are around 100 policemen to whom I supply tiffin," Gupta said.
Speaking to media persons Sanjeev Matandoor, Daskhina Kannada district unit president of BJP, said that some youths were forcibly converted to Islam but no action was taken to curb what he termed conversion racket.
Comments
This is a advance education era. Most of the grown up childrens are well capabe to understand what is good what us bad. What is God's Creation and what is not. In our Inpendence country every one have right to choose their choice.
Orthere no need to interfere or they have right to do any forcefull act fo
Convert the rest or to do forcefull Ghar Wapsi.
Trust street mongers will stop these non sense activity.
Some one faught with his father n left home. Some mentally group's trying to create communal tension in South Kanara surroundings.
State Govt n dept must take strict action n send them behind bar for at least 6 months period is the only right remedy.
Jai Hind
bjp has no other issue and that is the reason they take up converion issue. Its cleared by Police Dept that no case of forced conversion taken place in Suliya. Based on this, Police should ban hate mongers from giving any speech and ban these terrorist organisations.
More & More people converted to Islam in USA & Britain so that they can create another Afaghanistan & Syria
Bopanna...
I feel you need more education on God... U look dumb when u dont study about your enemies.. Dont just depend on cheddis fed info on islam...
Use your own intellect and read your enemies book The QURAn...
I will help U ... read online theQuranProject , well explained for people like you... Try it man.
Another pillar of Islam
1. Bombs
@Sangeeth, Mangalore
Yes! they converted because of listening to zakir naik's speeches. Because he speak the truth. and they liked the truth.
Entire Karnataka incluidng Dakshina Kannada is crying for drinking water. But these shakunis are worried about religious conversions.
I want to ask the bunch of jokers in this forum - Viren, Yogesh & Sangeeth
Your voice speaks that you are really worried of growing popularity of Islam
Why do you think people are forcibly converted? Are they illiterates ?
You will agree to the fact that in this modern age, each product has its own USP and just imagine why there are more Airtel subscribers in the country compared to other telecom providers ?
Are the customers compelled to subscribe for their product ? In this age, every individual are smart enough to decide which one suites him.
So it is foolish to tell people are being converted forcibly
Yogesh...how innocent Hindus became chaddis...this is mind wash from terrorist group RSS
@Yogesh
UK's No 1 News channel
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343954/100-000-Islam-converts-…
@Yogesh proof for yogesh
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1343954/100-000-Islam-converts-…
http://www.ibtimes.com/muslims-america-more-latinos-converting-islam-us…
CELEBRITIES WHO CONVERTED TO ISLAM, SO MANY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_converts_to_Islam
And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him) ?3:85?.
In this Ayah ?3:19?, Allah said, asserting that the only religion accepted with Him is Islam,
No other religion book says. We dont benifit by converting u people, u are getting benifitted.
At the end of the day, those who doesnt follow and practice islam. He will be the loser.
More educated person is converting to islam than non educated ones.
Highest people are converting islam is from britain and america. There is no pint of force converting.
After 9/11 to prove quran wrong. many started to studing quran, they found that it is the true peace religion. And the terrorists are doing anti islamic. Against islam. So many people converted stil now people are converting.
Many big celebrities like mohammed ali, tyson, tony blairs sister are all converted to islam
please note that hindus converting to islam because of some hate speeches made by hindu leaders like kalladka
@VIren
U should Thank Arabs, the word Hindu is given by Arabs.
The actual Religion is named as Sanathan Dharm. Which nobody Follows.
@viren
How Hindu Population is Increasing, Show me a single Person who converted from Islam to Hindu.
i think u r just telling Opposite,
Plz Check, Ur family Members might have converted to Islam.
Police should arrest all PFI goons , hindu population is increasing day by day and PFI aware about it
Just say in ur heart, La ilaaha illalla Muhammed arra Soorula, u Have passed first stage of islam. No body can stop it.
This is the power of islam.
The Five Pillars consist of:
Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith.
Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day.
Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy.
Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan.
Hajj: pilgrimage to Makkah.
No other religion book says so.
Hindus make idols, But i think, the man who makes the idol. is greater than idol.
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