The Ayodhya dispute, that in the past pulled apart two religions of this Country and became a threat to our motto of ‘Unity in Diversity’ might now see a different light of the day. A proposal signed by over 10,000 people, Hindus and Muslims jointly, was submitted to the Faizabad divisional commissioner. The proposal pleaded to settle the dispute by giving permission to build a mosque and a temple on the same land.
The issue started back in the 1990’s when riots broke out, led by Hindu extremists who destroyed the Babri Masjid that was then erected at the land in question. The extremists were of the opinion that the plot was the holy birthplace of Rama, one of the Hindu deities, and a mosque built there after the demolition of the temple of the lord was wrong on religious levels. A land case was hence lodged in the Allahabad High Court, the verdict of which was announced after almost 20 years in September 2010. A ruling was made that the 2.77 acre of land to be divided into 3 parts and given to Hindu Maha Sabha, Islamic Sunni Waqf Board and Nirmohi Akhara. Although it hasn’t been yet proved whether the mosque was built after a temple was demolished, it has been agreed that a temple in fact stood on this land.
After such rippling riots, it was not sure if the two communities could live in peace. Campaigns sprouted around the topic which divided the views even more. But finally it seems like there is a new dawn breaking in. An initiative that started on the 18th of March 2010, led by High Court Judge Palok Basu, has now gathered thousands of local citizens (10,052 to be exact – around 60% Hindus and 40% Muslims) who look forward to building a community that has a place for everyone. The petition signed wants a simultaneous construction of a temple and mosque to be started. It has already been submitted and is under review by the divisional commissioner Surya Prakash Mishra who stated “I received a memorandum regarding the dispute of Ayodhya and a bunch of photocopies containing some signatures. I have yet to decide what to do in this matter.”
But the petitioners are hopeful. “We have moved this negotiation process in the Supreme Court through the authorized person (Faizabad Divisional Commissioner). We hope that the apex court will honour the public sentiments of peace and harmony,” said Justice Basu.
Such kind of negotiation was also made once in the past when the main appellant in the case, Hashim Ansari, along with the Akhara Parishad president Mahant Gyan Das, had discussed for an out-of-court settlement which appealed for a 70 acre of the disputed land to accommodate a mosque and a temple with a 100 feet high wall in between. But as the proposal wasn’t a legal one, not undergoing through the right procedures, it was looked at as a derogatory to the High Court and was dropped.
After many years now, the step has been again taken and hopefully this time around we will get to witness a true example of unity. It is really heartening to see people like Justice Basu who aim to build a better India, one where any race, religion, caste and creed can survive in symphony.
