Parties appeal followers to maintain peace ahead of Ayodhya verdict, UP deploys 4,000 paramilitary forces

As India prepares for one of its most important court verdicts of the century, the city of Ayodhya remains on edge. The Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid conflict has remained unresolved since 1992 and the verdict is expected next week.

The Chief Justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi has met with the top officials of the Uttar Pradesh government to overlook the situation as the judgment is due before November 17.

Gogoi the State Chief Secretary, the Director-General of Police, and other office-bearers of the state government. He reviewed the security preparedness and possible implications ahead of the crucial judgment.

The 2010 Allahabad High Court verdict ordered trifurcation of the land, but the stakeholders appealed against it at the Supreme Court. 

As the date of the final verdict nears, the central and state governments have started to make full preparations for only the implementation, but also to avoid any potential conflict in the city.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently said that unnecessary controversy on the issue should be avoided at all costs.

The authorities are also making special efforts to curb the propagation of fake news on social media websites. In view of this, the state government has deployed 16,000 volunteers to maintain peace.

Additionally, four security zones have been created in Ayodhya. These zones have been colour coded into red, yellow, green, and blue zones. The red and yellow zones will be manned by the paramilitary, while the blue and green zones will be manned by the local police.

The colours also reflect the intensity of potential hazards. For instance, the red zone covers the disputed site and yellow covers five kilometres outside of it.

To avoid any scope of conflict, four-thousand paramilitary forces have been deployed in the holy city.

Watch: India braces for Ayodhya judgment

The Home Ministry has issued an advisory to state governments to ensure that law and order is maintained throughout the country.

The police have sealed off the roads leading to the sensitive Ram Kot area.

Even the Indian Railways, which is a major artery of transportation in India, is bracing itself for the verdict through preparation measures.

Some railway staff have been called back from their holidays, and their leaves have been annulled. Additionally, 80 major railway stations have been identified as nerve centres and will remain on high alert.

To top it all off, until the end of December, any assembly of more than four people will not be allowed in Ayodhya.

Political organisations across the country are appealing their followers to remain calm and maintain peace in the aftermath of the verdict. Furthermore, it is being ensured that the verdict is neither celebrated nor do protests break out against it in the country.

During the 2010 verdict, Mayawati’s government in Uttar Pradesh ensured that even flower and music shops remained closed after the verdict was pronounced.

Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi will retire on November 17 and the judgment will come any day before his retirement.