By IANS
Lucknow : Security was high in Uttar Pradesh Wednesday on the eve of the 15th anniversary of the razing of the Babri mosque that triggered one of the worst outbreaks of communal violence in the country.
Informed sources said intelligence agencies had alerted the police about possible terrorist strikes Thursday, leading to tight security in Ayodhya, where the mosque stood, as well as the neighbouring town of Faizabad.
Officials said the situation was made grave by the killing a fortnight ago of 13 people in a string of bomb blasts in Faizabad, Varanasi and Lucknow.
But 15 years after Hindu mobs razed the Babri mosque Dec 6, 1992, sentiments on both sides of the religious divide have calmed considerably. Officials said that protests planned Thursday were mostly ritual in nature.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will observe the day as Shaurya Diwas at Ayodhya and take a pledge to build a grand temple of Lord Ram on the ruins of the Babri mosque. The Shiv Sena will separately mark a “Vijay Diwas” (Day of Victory).
Muslim outfits will remain in the mourning mould, a practice undertaken since the 1992 razing.
The Babari Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) will observe Thursday as “Kalank Diwas” (Day of shame). BMAC members will stage a sit-in and pray in mosques for the rebuilding of the Babri mosque.
Maulana Khalid Rashi Firangimahali of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board will offer prayers at Eidgah in Lucknow.
In and around the temple town of Ayodhya, vehicles coming to the town are being searched intensively. It does lead to frayed tempers, but most people are taking the hassles in their stride.