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.
Comments
this boppa,vijay and naren dont hve the clear picture of this RSS and sangi guys so they brak from there side as they blive we all muslims are blongs to terrorist grp thn can they explain abt this RSS and sangi guys wht they are upto they want to divied the country or make a peace loving country. till now they divied the country by the name of religons .
this guys plan same policy which played by british divied and rule this sangi and RSS are born under there rules this sangis helped thm even nw they do the same.
comment #6 wht u written in last line of ur comment this shld b applied for the people inculding sangi and RSS guys aswel
dont blame we muslims we are very proud INDIAN MUSLIMS
we are proud to b an INDIAN more then u sangi and rss guys
and dont blame others first look into u wht gd deed hve u don till nw this for boppa,vijay and naren
Dear Naren
you dont have 70 virgins ...you have to taste only one that too Najas......... Brother Mustafa left this Duniya as Tippu did . and enjoying the favours from the creator . when he was hacked to death by cowards in the dark with the help of Coward fascist police . no problem we are borned for that we do not mourne but his family will curse you and you sangh .
Bopanna and vijay, every one will know your bulsh*t sangi parivar, you are sitting in and posting comments, stupid come out, you go and fight instead of sending poor in rana rang,
Naren, don't post your stupid and bulsh*t comments, come and fight face to face, Israel is your father country they also like you killing innocent people in back door.................ISIS and RSS is the same.....isis will not attack israel because its born from there only..
Ameen
Bupa, vijaya ..Mangalore ( Naren ignored ) ....Guys if u want to know the truth about this case contact the Vakil Dinesh Hegde Ulapady...before barking
So naren kotian,
Then start to attack anti nationalist first from mohan baaghwath, thogadia and so on means rss must be removed from the route. Then only brotherhood will remain in our great country India.
Jai Hind
same third rated guys rejoiced when muslim gangs killed prashanth poojari ... and yesterday one jihadi sitting in saudi , i think by name ahmed ... said next round will be of kiran shetty :) it shows ... and it says everything ... let it be ... i wish all murderers of prashanth poojari meets same end ,i pray to god ... israel policy follow madle beku ... when anti nationalist strike our eyes , we must strike their heart, kidneys ,eyes , liver ... legs and brain ... then only systerms will be back to normal .
Well said Bopanna....these people(so called peace lovers)they only know to blame RSS...
Dear Bopanna,
What about the gather during poor prashanth poojary funeral.All are belongs to anti India criminal rss group.
Karnataka police dept is well aware about all criminal groups. They never bow to any influence or to any muscle power. They kicked your dirty leader Togadia from airport back to his home town hell.
Jai Hind! Jai Karnataka!
Bopanna seems to have too much of hatred towards mulsims despite being and earning in an Islam country
If he hates muslims he has no moral rights to be, where he is currently
A theif's friend will be another theif only.
Let the police keep an eye on all these people who attended the event - a lot of terrorists there I am sure
Masha Allah great .Rest in peac my brother mustafa.
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