LUCKNOW, India, (Reuters) – An Indian court ruled yesterday that the site of a demolished mosque would be split between Hindus and Muslims, dousing immediate fears of a violent backlash in one of the country’s most religiously divisive cases.
The Uttar Pradesh court also ruled Hindus will be allowed to keep a makeshift temple that was built over the demolished central mosque dome, sparking celebrations by priests who dipped in a nearby river chanting “The temple is now ours”.
The 1992 demolition of the 16th century mosque in northern India by Hindu mobs triggered some of India’s worst riots that killed about 2,000 people. More than 200,000 police fanned out in India yesterday to guard against any communal violence.
If the ruling soothes tensions, it would be a boost for the the ruling Congress party, a left-of-centre group with secular roots, that does not want to upset either voter bloc. Major political parties had called for calm.
“I know that often it is only a few mischief makers who create divisions in our society,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said in a statement.
“I would appeal to my countrymen to be vigilant and not let such people succeed in disrupting peace and harmony.”
The verdict was handed down days before Sunday’s opening of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, with the government wanting to project an image of stability and modernity to the world.
“Nobody has won. Nobody has lost,” Yashwant Sinha, a leader of the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, told local television. “Let’s not look at this as a victory for anyone.”
Muslims did appear the biggest losers. But Muslim organisations were measured in their response, careful not to inflame public tensions in a country where they account for only 13 percent of the 1.2 billion plus population.
There were no immediate reports of violence after the ruling.
“It was a very sensible judgment and the court has tried to balance the parties,” said Anil Verma, a political analyst.
“Apportioning one-third to the Muslims means they have not completely lost.”
