By Sharat Pradhan and Asad Rizvi
Ayodhya: Gun-totting khakhi-clad cops of Uttar Pradesh’s Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) patrolling up and down the critical streets of this temple town are in sharp contrast to the excitement and fervour that is all-pervading in and around Ayodhya, where all roads lead to the Ram Temple that is to be pompously inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 22.
Eerie silence seems to prevail particularly in a few of the lanes and bylanes, known to be dominated by Muslims, who are stated to be not more than 5,000 in the old Ayodhya town, among the four lakh Muslims residing in the entire erstwhile Faizabad district (now renamed Ayodhya).
And appears quite distinct that the khakhi-clad are in much larger numbers along streets overlooking any part of the temple construction activity. One such locality is Daurai Kuan while another is Dharam Kanta Panjitola, where unusual police surveillance is quite visible.
The official explanation is that cops in these localities are deployed simply because these localities are closer to the outer iron fencing around the new temple. However, residents of the area have reason to believe that the police are maintaining extra surveillance because of the larger presence of Muslims there.
And they allege to be under constant intimidation and fear of losing their homes, where they have been living for generations. Quite a few of them had moved out in December 1992, when the 16th century Babri Masjid was demolished by charged Hindu mobs, who vandalised some mosques and commercial establishments owned by members of the minority community in these very areas.
“Once bitten twice shy”, is what seems to overwhelm their psyche now in the run-up to the temple construction, which has drawn enormous crowds from different corners of the country and are camping in every nook and corner of the town, literally painted in the typically Hindu saffron hue, with conch shells, bhajans and cries of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ reverberating everywhere.
This story was originally published in thewire.in. Read the full story here .