The thirteenth anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya passed of peacefully. There was complete normalcy in the temple town despite the heavy media presence, deployment of security personnel and searching of vehicles.Members of the Muslim community observed the day as one of sorrow (Yaum-e-Gham) by downing shutters of shops and business establishments, wore black ribbons and displayed black flags.Addressing a public meeting organised by the Babri Masjid Action Committee in Ayodhya, Muslim leader Hafiz Sayyad Akhlaq said that the Babri legal battle was on in the court and everybody had to respect the law and the Constitution.Meanwhile, police arrested social worker and Magsaysay award winner Sandeep Pandey when he tried to take out a harmony procession in Ayodhya. Police said that the activists of different cultural groups in the Sadhbhavna Yatra wanted to stage a street play on the banks of the Saryu but they had been denied permission. The arrests were made when they decided to go ahead with the play. The entire group was let off later.In Karsewakpuram, the VHP’s local headquarters in Ayodhya, the day was observed as Shaurya Diwas.
