Strict police guard around the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya

Construction of the temple on the disputed land in Ayodhya, India, will begin next week. Police have been deployed on the surrounding roads to avoid any disturbance.

India's Supreme Court ruled in November last year in the historic Ayodhya case over the Babri Masjid-Ram birthplace, ending decades of waiting.

The verdict gave the disputed quarter of an acre of land for the construction of the temple, but the temple would be under a trust. The government will provide 5 acres of land for the mosque at another place nearby.

Following the Supreme Court ruling, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of a trust for the construction of the temple in February.

Modi has been invited to lay the foundation stone of the temple on August 5, Reuters reported.

However, the Prime Minister's Office in Delhi said that whether Modi would go there would depend on the ongoing coronavirus epidemic and the security situation there.

"The rule of maintaining social distance must be followed," he said.

The dispute between Hindus and Muslims over the land of the Babri Masjid, built in the 16th century, has been going on for decades. Hindus believe that Ramchandra's birthplace was a Ram temple on the site of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

In 1992, the Babri Masjid was demolished by extremist Hindutva activists. More than 2,000 people across India were killed in Hindu-Muslim riots that year after the mosque was demolished.

Similar riots were expected after the November verdict. However, nothing like that happened.

Shakib Noor, a member of the Sunni Waqf Board of Muslims in Ayodhya, said, "We have accepted the verdict to build a Hindu temple there. So there is no reason to create chaos. ”

Although both sides have promised to maintain peace, the Ayodhya authorities are reluctant to take any risks. Meanwhile, police have been deployed on the road around the temple construction site. Barricades will also be set up on the roads next week to avoid large crowds.

হিন্দুMany Hindu temples in India and outside India have sent money to the construction fund. The construction of the temple is expected to be completed by 2022.