The Centre has issued a strict advisory to the Uttar Pradesh government asking it to take all possible steps to ensure status quo is maintained at the Ram Janmabhoomi Babri Masjid site in Ayodhya, where VHP has called for a “Sankalp Diwas” rally, and prevent any attempt to flare up communal tension anywhere in the state. In September, the state witnessed the worst kind of communal clashes in recent times in Muzaffarnagar where more than sixty people lost their lives and thousands were rendered homeless. The Centre being the custodian of the disputed Ayodhya site, has told the state government that the “Supreme Court order to maintain status quo at the disputed site has to be ensured and no gathering near the disputed area can be allowed.” The MHA is constantly in touch with the commissioner, Faizabad who is monitoring the situation.
The UP authorities have conveyed to the MHA that all possible steps are being taken to ensure “status quo” is maintained at the disputed site and no congregation will be allowed near the site, official sources said. The UP government has also banned VHP’s “Sankalp Diwas” rally, they said. The state government has also informed the Centre that preventive arrests have been made and so far several hundred activists of VHP have been taken into custody.