“Who is stopping you [the Vishva Hindu Parishad] from building a Ram temple? Why is it having an impact on the lives of other people,” asked 65-year-old Mian Bakhsh, who owns a furniture shop opposite Ramlila Maidan.
All shops from Delhi Gate to Ajmeri Gate were shut during Sunday’s event as part of security measures, he said. The VHP on Sunday organised a dharma sabha at Ramlila Maidan to demand construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The ground is surrounded by residential colonies, mostly inhabited by Muslims.
‘Hate speech’
Bakhsh, who had come to the city around 40 years back, said he has seen thousands of people protest and hold rallies at Ramlila Maidan but “in the recent years, after the Anna Hazare rally, it is the second such rally that has a gathering of over one lakh people. I do not understand why people raise slogans or chant in front of Muslim houses. The Hindus are in power and they haveThey [the crowd] are in power and everything. I do not hold grudges against anyone but there should not be any hate speech against my community,” the senior citizen added.
The police had in a meeting with the locals requested them to keep their shops closed and avoid several routes till the rally ended.
“We appreciate how the locals cooperated with us. The rally ended peacefully. All barricaded roads were later opened,” said a senior police officer.
Local resident Mohammad Zafri said they decided not to step out as many persons were raising “hate slogans”.
“The police extended extra security to our houses. They barricaded the area for our safety. I did not go for the afternoon namaz at Ilahi Masjid,” said Zafri.
Meanwhile, 82-year-old Chandra Deo Sharma from Bihar’s Sitamarhi said he had come to attend the event as he believed the temple will be built this time. “I was there in Ayodhya in December 1992. I have been waiting all these years for the temple to get constructed. But with this movement, I feel the temple will definitely be built at Ayodhya,” he said.
The rally saw participation by thousands of youths from various parts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
“The Ram temple has nothing to do with unemployment in the country. Ram is our God and it is a matter of faith. Jobs will come and go but God will always remain,” said law student Ambrish Srivastava.
