On a chilly December Sunday in 1992, Ayodhya was at the centre of a storm as police opened fire on kar sevaks who demolished the Babri Masjid. Ayodhya is on the edge once again because of VHP’s Chaurasi Kosi Parikrama Yatra today.
Over 40,000 to 50,000 activists are estimated to take part, a nightmare for the Samajwadi Party (SP) government. As confrontation builds up between the government headed by Akhilesh Singh Yadav and the VHP backed sants, all entries to the town have been sealed; public transport and heavy vehicles are being diverted to the Faizabad–Lucknow–Gorakhpur highway and police in camouflage are present in heavy numbers. In Ayodhya’s bylanes and squares, tension is visible on faces of people whose refrain is “curfew will be imposed tonight”. The number of business travellers and devotees from outside is less than a trickle. As sun slips into the evening, the roads wear a deserted look. The police have emptied the ghats of bathers. Today, more than 50,000 Hindu activists will bathe in the Sarayu and vow to march to the Ram Janmabhoomi site again.
Meanwhile, apprehending police action, saffron-clad sadhus wait huddled in ashrams and temples, viewing police and administrative officers with suspicion. “The chief priests would give them directions to move in the morning to reach Nayaghat on the banks of the Sarayu from where they will march,” said Narottam Das of Maniram ki Chawnai. “We are prepared to brave any situation,” said a sant. A guerrilla war between the sants and the police cannot be ruled out.
The state, realising that general elections are drawing close and mishandling the situation would cost it dear, has left no stone unturned. For 72 hours, the CM has taken command, personally monitoring the arrivals and directing his officers to implement SC orders of maintaining a status quo. Cops have been banned from using measures including lathi-charges and firing knowing that this would backfire on the SP. Mulayam’s order to fire on kar sevaks in 1990 only made the BJP stronger. Akhilesh would like to avoid a repeat. Hoping to intimidate Hindu activists, the police are holding flag marches in Ayodhya and Faizabad. Preventive arrests are happening; warrants have been issued for arrests of Singhal and Togadia. The BJP is pressing home the advantage on the most emotive issue in its history. It is encouraging the VHP campaign for the Ram Temple by condemning the SP government for not “allowing Hindus practice their religious beliefs”. Singhal tried to provoke Akhilesh into firing upon sants or lathi-charging them, challenging him to face consequences.
So far, both the SP and BJP have consolidated support base by adopting a belligerent stand on respective positions. By deploying a phalanx of security forces, the CM has sent out the message that he would not let a communal agitation be revived. On the other hand, after more than 15 years, the Sangh Parivar has succeeded in drawing attention towards the contentious issue of the Ram Temple. Both Congress and BSP stand marginalised and blame SP and BJP for playing a “fixed match”. If the situation turns violent or takes an ugly turn in the temple town, only Akhilesh would be blamed for not taking lessons from his father’s past experience.