AYODHYA, India: Amid heavy security, tens of thousands of monks and activists from Hindu nationalist groups began converging on the Indian town of Ayodhya on Sunday to demand the construction of a temple on a disputed religious site.
Over 200,000 people are expected near the site where a Hindu mob in 1992 pulled down a 16th-century mosque, sparking deadly religious riots that killed some 2,000 people in one of India's worst communal violence since the partition in 1947.
More than 900 extra police and a large number of paramilitary, including elite commandos, have been stationed at Ayodhya, said Vivek Tripathi, spokesman for the Uttar Pradesh police. "We're monitoring the entire town by CCTV and drone cameras," Tripathi said.
In the run-up to a general election due by May 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and many Hindu outfits affiliated with the BJP have ratcheted up their demand for a new temple at the disputed site which most Hindus believe was the birthplace of warrior-God Lord Ram.
Hindu groups point to evidence there was a temple before a mosque was built by a Muslim ruler in 1528.
"The mosque was a slight on Hindus and it's a shame that we've failed to build a temple on one of the most holy sites for Hindus," said Sharad Sharma, spokesman for the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), or the World Hindu Council, which has close ties with the BJP.
Hindus are getting impatient and the time has come to build a grand temple for Lord Ram, Sharma said.
The group gathering on Sunday will urge the government to introduce a legislation to pave the way for a temple, said Bablu Khan, an elected BJP council member in Ayodhya.
Both Hindu and Muslim groups have petitioned India's Supreme Court to help resolve the issue. The top court has sought more time to give its verdict.
Sharma said the delay has disappointed India's majority Hindu community which can not wait endlessly for a verdict.
Both the BJP and VHP and their parent movement, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, have asked the government to issue an executive order to build a temple and bypass the Supreme Court.
The heavily fortified site, which looks like a small garrison town, is under the control of the Supreme Court.
Sunday's congregation in Ayodhya would be followed up with bigger gatherings in New Delhi, India's capital, said Sharma.
The build-up of Hindu religious leaders and right wing political activists has also raised questions about the safety of Muslims who live in Ayodhya and other nearby areas.
Zafaryab Jilani, a senior member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, said it's incumbent upon the state administration to ensure the safety of the community.
The administration is geared up to protect every single individual in the town, said Anil Pathak, district chief of Faizabad, where the Ayodhya town is located.
Indian town tense as thousands of Hindus gather near disputed religious site
Indian town tense as thousands of Hindus gather near disputed religious site
- Over 200,000 people are expected near the site where a Hindu mob in 1992 pulled down a 16th-century mosque
- Hindu groups point to evidence there was a temple before a mosque was built by a Muslim ruler in 1528
UN peacekeepers defy South Sudan military’s order to leave opposition-held town
JUBA, South Sudan: The United Nations Mission in South Sudan said Monday that it would not comply with a government order to shut down its base in Akobo, an opposition stronghold near the Ethiopian border where tens of thousands of refugees have fled.
On Friday, the South Sudanese army ordered UN peacekeepers as well as NGOs and civilians to vacate the town ahead of a planned assault.
But the mission refused to leave and said it would provide “a protective presence for civilians” in the town, adding that the safety and security of its personnel “must be fully respected at all times.”
The UN Mission said it was engaging “intensively with national, state and local stakeholders” regarding this order. “Any military operations in and around Akobo gravely endanger the safety and security of civilians,” said mission chief Anita Kiki Gbeho.
The South Sudanese government has been fighting opposition forces since a 2018 peace deal broke down about a year ago.
A dramatic escalation took place in December 2025, when opposition forces seized several government outposts in northern Jonglei. A government counter-offensive repelled their forces a month later and displaced over 280,000 people. Tens of thousands have sought refuge in Akobo, where a small contingent of UN peacekeepers is stationed.
Fearing the looming government assault on Akobo, humanitarian workers were evacuated over the weekend, and a mass exodus of the population has also begun.
Local officials contacted by the The Associated Press said fleeing civilians faced danger and widespread shortages of essential supplies. Dual Diew, the Akobo County health director, who has fled to Ethiopia, said there were 84 wounded patients at the hospital. “We have most of them with us here now,” he said, adding that they lack medicine and basic nursing equipment.
Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and the ransacking of its office.
“People in Akobo must now either flee without protection or remain at risk of being killed, while losing access to health care and other essential services,” he said.
The three Western governments that have played a major role in the peace process — the U.S, UK, and Norway — sent a letter to President Kiir on Monday urging that the army’s evacuation order be revoked and warning of “further deaths, displacement and suffering for the South Sudanese people” if the offensive on Akobo is implemented.
