On August 5, Modi will lay the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram Temple in place of the Babri Masjid

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the construction of the Ram Temple on August 5 in place of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya. According to Indian media, due to the coronavirus, the number of participants in the groundbreaking ceremony will be limited and the ceremony will be shown live on state TV.

It may be recalled that the Indian Supreme Court, while ruling in the case of the historic Babri Masjid, which was martyred by extremists on November 9, 1992, ordered to build a Ram temple on the land of the mosque and provide alternative land to Muslims for the construction of the mosque.

Concerns were raised by Muslim organizations and various Indian leaders over the Indian Supreme Court’s decision. Asaduddin Owaisi, head of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-e-Muslimeen and a member of the Indian Lok Sabha, said: “We were fighting for our rights. We do not need 5 acres of land for a mosque”. It may be recalled that on August 5 last year, the Indian Parliament had repealed Article 370 of the Constitution regarding the semi-autonomous status of Occupied Kashmir.

Article 370 gave the State of Occupied Kashmir the freedom to make its own constitution, to uphold it, to keep its flag, and in all matters except defense, foreign affairs and communications. India had imposed an indefinite curfew in occupied Kashmir before the repeal of Article 370, detaining Hurriyat leaders and arresting hundreds of Kashmiris. Since August 5 last year, normal activities in occupied Kashmir have not been restored and the Indian Army continues to martyr and arrest Kashmiri youth in the name of continuous operations.