Geo436.com blog: India ups security ahead of Ayodhya verdict

Geo436 NEW DELHI: Security was tightened across northern India Thursday as the government braced for possible violence ahead of a court verdict on a long-running dispute over a site claimed by Hindus and Muslims.

A high court bench in Uttar Pradesh state is expected to deliver a ruling on who has the right to the land in Ayodhya town where the 15th Babri mosque stood until Hindu fanatics pulled it down in 1992.

At least 2,000 people were killed in widespread riots that followed the destruction of the mosque.

Hindu organizations claim a temple dedicated to their god Ram predated the mosque. They want to build a temple at the site which they claim marks the spot where Ram was born.

Over 190,000 police and paramilitary troops were deployed across Uttar Pradesh ahead of verdict expected to be announced in state capital Lucknow Thursday afternoon, officials said.

Bulk mobile messaging services have been banned across the country until further notice.

Several states including Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka tightened security, while chief ministers of most others made public appeals for calm.

Allahabad High Court will decide who owns land where Hindu mobs tore down a 16th Century mosque in 1992. Hindus claim the site of the Babri Masjid is the birthplace of their God, Ram, and want to build a temple there.

National capital Delhi was under a tight security blanket for the both the start of the Commonwealth Games on Sunday and the mosque verdict with heavy police presence in public places.

Schools and colleges in Uttar Pradesh were closed and paramilitary forces were carrying out air surveillance over 22 potential trouble spots, a local news agency reported.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, leaders of political parties and religious organizations as well as film stars appealed for calm.

Federal Home Minister P Chidambaram said Wednesday that the government did not expect any violence but had to take precautionary measures. ”I once again appeal to the people to maintain peace,” he said.

Representatives of the main litigants in the case, the Sunni Waqf Board and the All India Hindu Mahasabha, have said they will abide by the verdict, subject to challenging it in the Supreme Court.